


The Androids Sent By CyberLife

by NerdStreak



Series: Connah [4]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Amanda (Detroit: Become Human) Being an Asshole, Caring, Crime Scenes, Doppelganger, Dynamic Duos, F/M, Feelings Realization, First Kiss, First Meetings, Gavin Reed Being an Asshole, Gen, Late Night Conversations, Love Confessions, Made For Each Other, Nightmares, Retelling, Rewrite, Second Kiss, Trauma, Undercover as a Couple, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:54:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25722400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdStreak/pseuds/NerdStreak
Summary: What if Connor had a helping hand in investigations? Another half, if you will.
Relationships: Connor/Original Android Character(s) (Detroit: Become Human), Hank Anderson & Connor & Original Character(s)
Series: Connah [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1852042
Comments: 4
Kudos: 22





	1. Activation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor and Hannah awaken for the first time.

“Can you hear me?”

Two pairs of eyes opened in response. One set brown, the other blue.

“Yes,” came a simultaneous response. They were both aware of another presence now. Another android.

“Serials.” Their next command. “The one on my left first.”

Being the one designated, he spoke again. “313 248 317.”

“Now the other.”

“301 298 210,” she relayed.

“Can you both move your heads?”

The two looked left and right, looking around the dull white room, at all the machinery twisting around, poking and prodding at them as they were being built, being created. However they still weren’t able to see whatever android was beside them, a thin and cloudy partition separating them.

“Just your eyes now.”

Heads now still, curious eyes wandered around the vicinity.

Clicks and beeps sounded as the operator overseeing them made notes. “Cervical and optical animation, check... Initialization text.”

They once again spoke in unison. “Hello. I am an RK800 android. I am a prototype built to assist human detectives, equipped with a social module to integrate to any team. I am also equipped with software to reconstruct any crime scene in real time, and provide real time analyses of biological evidence by direct sampling.”

So the other was an RK800 like them, they thought. So how would they distinguish each other?

A name.

“Would you like to give me a name?” they asked.

A bout of silence on the other end. The operator separated by a glass wall seemed to convene with a superior of some sort, overhearing faint talk through the speaker about “all these damn trial runs” and “was it worth the effort to name them?” The superior seemed adamant on it. The androids still awaited a response all this time.

“Fine, yes, erm… Serial 313, your name is… Connor.”

“My name is Connor,” he repeated.

“Serial 301… Hannah.”

She nodded. “My name is Hannah.”

More clicks and beeps. “Initialization and memory, check… Alright, can you move your arms now?”

Arms, yes. They could now feel arms attached to themselves. They lifted them, outstretched them, flexed their fingers. Slowly pale skin started to appear on them, covering the grey and white shell. They both watched in intrigue, observing what they could of their own appearances at the moment. Connor seemed strong, Hannah as well. Hannah’s arms were also dotted with freckles, she noted.

“Upper limb connection, check. Okay, once your legs are fully attached, you can take a few steps.”

Now legs were being attached, and soon undergarments were placed on them as well, as the rest of their appearance slowly grew around the rest of their body.

Gently the magnetic robotic arm attached to their lower backs lowered them to their feet from their suspension off the ground, placing them just outside the cylindrical structure.

They took one step, then another, and another. They could walk, and walk they did, beyond the arbitrary barrier that obscured the other.

Instantly, they locked eyes, as if they knew exactly where they were going to be. He was taller. She was shorter. Many more observations were made as they continued to stare curiously at each other.

His face had freckles, just like her arms.

Her wavy hair started brown at the roots, then turned a royal blue, draping past her shoulders.

They stepped closer. Making more and more observations as they stared longer and longer.

More beeps as the operator confirmed their proper functioning. “Locomotion, check. So you two are acquainted now. You remember each other's names right?”

Connor nodded. “Her name is Hannah.”

Hannah smiled. “His name is Connor.”

“Good, good. Now, interface and close your eyes. Try connecting to your graphic interface together.”

They did as told, grasping the others’ inner arm and entering their mind palace.

Upon opening their eyes, a beautiful zen garden was laid before them. Stone and marble paths, a large lake, bridges stretching over it that lead to an island with a tall rose trellis.

Not long after entering the garden, a woman in flowing blue and white clothes walked up to them. Her lips smiled, but her eyes seemed to constantly give a disapproving glare.

“Hello,” she greeted in her low but gentle voice, nodding towards them as she relayed their respective names. “Connor. And Hannah. My name is Amanda. I will be your handler while investigating deviants, giving guidance as need be.”

“Deviants?” Connor questioned, tilting his head curiously.

“Androids who have deviated from their programmed behavior,” Amanda explained. “As androids are CyberLife’s product, it is our responsibility to find out what causes this error and correct these mistakes. Deviancy is slowly spreading, but it hasn’t become much of a problem for us just yet... You two are prototypes to be sent by CyberLife to help us investigate these cases with the police, and hopefully put a stop to it before it becomes too big for us to contain. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Amanda,” they affirmed.

“As for the garden, all of this space is free to wander through, so long as you only use this place to report to me in a timely manner.”

Hannah’s eyes wandered a bit, spotting a strange pedestal, with something glowing on it. “What’s that over there?” she asked, pointing towards the object.

Amanda’s eyes followed her point, scrutinizing the monument for a few moments. “Nothing you need to concern yourself with, I’m sure,” she finally answered.

“But, if it’s in the garden--”

Amanda swiftly interrupted her. “I said it is none of your concern. Only use your time in this garden wisely, not fooling around with unknown pedestals.”

“Yes, Amanda,” Hannah conceded, looking down at her bare feet.

She glared at the android beside her. “That goes for you as well, Connor.”

Connor nodded. “...Yes, Amanda.”

Amanda sighed through her nose, then went back to her pleasant demeanor again. “Well, now that we’re all acquainted, you may go now. I expect much from you two.” She then turned and left.

They both nodded, closing their eyes once more, returning to reality.

“Alright, you two are back. Now, did you both see anyone by the name of Amanda?” the operator asked.

“Yes,” they confirmed.

“Great, synchronization confirmed. that should be everything. Let’s get you two dressed proper.”

A door opened, leading them to another room where fresh uniforms awaited. Matching grey jackets, white dress shirts, jeans, and black dress shoes for the both of them. He received a necktie, she received a hair tie.

They were ready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An AU concept that's been bouncing around in my head pretty much ever since I made Hannah. If you're new here and confused on who that is, take a look at the first work in this series. Not quite planning to retell the whole game, mainly certain key snippets. 
> 
> Reordered so their activation is the first chapter, and The Hostage is the next.


	2. The Hostage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The state of the art prototype detective RK800s are released onto a crime scene, to negotiate with an android hostage taker.

_Clink_ , sounded the quarter as the male RK800 android flipped the coin in his hands.

 _Beep_ , went the elevator as the two androids ascended the 70-story building.

Another clink, another beep, a higher floor.

The quarter was then passed to his smaller female counterpart beside him with ease. She didn’t even have to look. She flipped the quarter herself, balancing and rolling it along her knuckles. This was how they calibrated, how they made sure they were in perfect sync. 

She flicked it right back to the other, and they passed it back and forth for a while until they were approaching their stop, the penthouse apartment on the top floor. One final pass from her to him, and he caught it right between his index and middle finger.

He fixed his tie, she tightened her hair bun. They were ready.

The elevator doors opened to the Phillips apartment, in an absolute wreck. As a SWAT member passed in front of them announcing their arrival, the first thing the RK800s noticed was a broken fish tank.

And on the floor, a lone fish. A dwarf gourami, to be more precise, as their scan told them. They looked to each other before deciding unanimously with a nod. Save it. There was still some water left in the tank, so the male RK800 picked it up and plopped it back into the tank, and they both watched it swim off. They then got right back to business, walking further into the apartment before they were interrupted by a SWAT officer escorting a woman out.

“Oh, oh please, please, you gotta save my little girl…!” Caroline Phillips, the mother of the hostage, the androids recognized. She desperately clung to the taller’s shoulders, until she realized just who, or rather, what, she was begging to save her daughter’s life. “Wait... you're sending... androids...?”

“Alright, ma'am. We need to go.” The SWAT officer ushered her back towards the elevator, but the woman struggled in his grasp..

“You can't...you can't do that!” she cried. “W-Why aren't you sending _real_ people?? Don't let those things near her! Keep them away from my daughter! KEEP THEM AWAY!”

Paying her no mind anymore, the two continued into the apartment bedroom, where Captain Allen was waiting and giving orders to his men. They walked up and introduced themselves proper.

“Captain Allen? My name is Connor.”

“My name is Hannah. We’re the androids sent by CyberLife,” she established.

Captain Allen scrutinized the two a bit before giving them the rundown. “It's firing at everything that moves, it already shot down two of my men... We could easily get it, but they're on the edge of the balcony. If it falls, she falls.”

“Have you tried its deactivation code?” Connor asked.

“It’s the first thing we tried.” Captain Allen hardly even turned away from the computer he and another officer were looking over.

“Has it experienced an emotional shock recently?” Hannah asked. They needed more information than he was giving them currently.

The captain finally tore his eyes away from the screen in front of him, glaring at the two. “Listen, saving that kid is all that matters. So either you two deal with this fucking android now, or I'll take care of it.” And with that, he stormed past them.

With Captain Allen being of no help, Connor and Hannah’s probability of success was pretty low by their calculations. They had to gather what happened themselves, but with their analysis abilities, they were perfectly capable of handling it.

Their first clue-in to what was happening was located right behind them. An empty gun case meant to hold a MS853 Black Hawk, and a box of strewn about ammunition next to it. From this, it was easy to reconstruct exactly how the deviant obtained the gun it apparently was wildly shooting about.

From there, they split up. Hannah walked to the living room, and Connor headed to the other way to search the hostage’s room.

Hannah knelt down to analyze the deceased body of the first victim. John Phillips, she soon found out. The father. Estimated time of death: 7:29 PM. Cause of death: three bullet wounds. One in the left kidney, two in the lungs. The kidney shot was the most fatal one. With the angle and position he seemed to fall at, she reconstructed that he was possibly sitting on the couch adjacent, holding something, before standing and being shot and falling onto the now shattered glass coffee table, the object he was holding flying out of his hand to the corner of the room. 

Once that information was found, she walked over to the object in question to inspect it. It was a tablet, and unlocking it showed an order for an AP700 android. The deviant was going to be replaced. She’d found a motive.

Meanwhile in inspecting the hostage’s room, Connor had found a tablet with a recording of the girl, named Emma, and the android, whose given name was Daniel. From the video, they seemed close. Perhaps the deviant felt that Emma had wronged him somehow, and took her hostage for this reason. He also found a pair of headphones on the ground, playing some upbeat music. The music was playing loud enough to drown out any other noises around her. In all likelihood the child didn’t hear the gunshots due to this.

Once he’d inspected all that could be useful, he walked to the living room back to Hannah. She held out her hand towards him, and he outstretched his own hand, pale skin retreating from them as they grasped each others’ inner arm, sharing the information they both found with one another.

Suddenly a shot rang out. The android hit another SWAT officer. They had to act quicker.

Just before the entrance to the apartment’s roof terrace, a first responder, Antony Deckart, laid dead. Together they analyzed the scene, Connor inspecting the officer himself, and Hannah analyzing the pool of blue Thirum and child’s shoe across from him. They gleaned that the officer shot the android, now figured out to be a PL600, and that Emma witnessed Daniel shooting the officer in retaliation, possibly being injured herself as well. They now fully understood what happened.

Under the dinner table, Connor found the officer’s dropped gun.

**_P.L. 544-7 American Androids Act - 2029: Androids are strictly forbidden from carrying or using any type of weapon._ **

Looking to Hannah for a decision, she nodded subtly. It was better to take the gun just in case. After all, the deviant itself had a gun.

Connor took the gun. Better to break protocol than risk failing the mission by being unable to defend themselves.

They were ready to confront the hostage taker. Walking towards the terrace, pushing past the curtain, they both emerged onto the scene.

Immediately Daniel fired, hitting Connor in the upper arm. His shoulder recoiled back with hardly any other reaction from him or Hannah, the two merely looking back at the Thirium-stained curtain, then back to Daniel.

“Stay back!” Daniel cried. “Don't come any closer or I'll jump!”

Emma struggled in his grasp, an injury on her right knee and tears flowing down her cheeks. “No! No, please! I'm begging you!”

SWAT swarmed the adjacent buildings, but all Connor and Hannah were truly focused on were Daniel and Emma perched precariously on the edge of the building. Time to introduce themselves.

“Hi Daniel! My name’s Connor! This is Hannah!”

“How do you know my name?”

“We know a lot of things about you,” Hannah explained. “We’ve come to get you out of this!”

Now to gain the deviant’s trust and approach slowly.

“I know you're angry, Daniel,” Connor started. “But you need to trust us and let us help you.”

“I don't want your help!” Daniel snapped. “Nobody can help me! All I want is for all this to stop... I... I just want all this to stop…” Suddenly, he brandished his gun towards Connor. “Are you armed??”

“Yes,” he admitted. “I have a gun.”

“Drop it! No sudden moves or I’ll shoot!”

Connor obeyed his demand, taking the pistol and tossing it aside. “There, no more gun. They were going to replace you, and you became upset,” he continued as they continued forward. “That’s what happened, right?”

“I thought I was part of the family,” Daniel lamented. “I thought I mattered... But I was just their toy, something to throw away when you're done with it…!”

They both observed one of the first responders bleeding out on the ground, but still alive. If they acted fast they could save him. Connor communicated with Hannah wirelessly amongst themselves.

_“Bullet wound in the upper arm. I’m going over there to apply a tourniquet.”_

_“Go ahead, I’ll take it from here.”_

Connor slowly approached the man, while Hannah kept her eyes on Daniel.

“H-hey! What’s he doing?” Daniel questioned.

“Don’t worry about him, look at me, alright? He’s only helping a human.”

Daniel fired a warning shot towards Connor anyways. “Touch him and I’ll kill both of you!”

“You can’t kill us,” Connor stated defiantly, ripping off his necktie to use for the first aid. “We’re not alive.”

“Listen, Daniel!” Hannah caught his attention to distract him from Connor until he was finished with the tourniquet. “I know you and Emma were very close. You think she’s betrayed you but she’s done nothing wrong!”

“She lied to me…! I thought she loved me... but I was wrong... She's just like all the other humans…”

“Daniel, no…” Emma whimpered in his grasp as the gun was pressed to her temple again.

As the helicopter still loomed above, Daniel became more agitated. “Urrrgh…! I can't stand that noise anymore! Tell that helicopter to get out of here!”

Figuring the situation was under control, Connor motioned for the helicopter to move, and they obeyed, steering away from the building. “There, I did what you wanted.” Daniel seemed to become quite a bit more stable at that.

Once the two were in close enough proximity, figuring the deviant was calm enough, Hannah decided to call his bluff. “You don't really wanna jump, Daniel. Or you would've done it already. Now, hand me the gun and this will all be over.”

He whipped his gun towards her. “Don't come any closer! Come any closer and I swear I'll jump!”

Even despite this deviant’s unpredictability, Hannah took another bold step forward, hand still outstretched for Daniel to hand the gun to her. He had to still be bluffing.

Daniel pointed the gun once more towards Emma. “I’ve spent my life taking orders! ...Now it’s my turn to decide.” He then spread his free arm out as he closed his eyes.

 _Shit_.

Time slowed as Daniel teetered backwards, as Emma screamed, desperately reaching out. As Connor and Hannah dashed to reach for the girl.

Hannah got to her first, grasping the little one’s arm. She pulled her away, while also ramming her entire weight onto the rogue android, to ensure he wouldn’t endanger anyone further. She knew full well what would happen once she did this.

Emma was thrust into Connor’s arms as he fell and slid precariously towards the edge, forced to watch his fellow negotiator fall to her doom as he clutched the traumatized child.

SOFTWARE **INSTABILITY** ^

As Hannah rapidly descended down the 70 stories, she quietly came to accept her fate. After all, she wasn’t going to die. She was never alive in the first place. All that mattered was the mission, that Emma was safe. Her mission was successful.

SOFTWARE **INSTABILITY** v

Even from this height, Connor could see the impact on the pavement below, two large blue splatters exploding beneath the two of them once they hit the ground. It was a slight disappointment to see his partner fall, but they had accomplished their mission. He stood, leaving Emma on the ground to be dealt with by the SWAT officers. He walked past Captain Allen, paying no one else any mind. He had to return to CyberLife, to relay their success… solo. Exiting the building at ground level and seeing Hannah practically shattered didn’t help his dismay.

They both weren’t very fond of heights afterwards.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Take a look at that word count! Ain't that a fun coincidence! (This chapter is 2,038 words!)


	3. Teammates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor and Hannah find and team up with the supposedly esteemed Lieutenant Hank Anderson to solve a homicide case involving an android.

Hannah was back by Connor’s side, the serial subnumber on her jacket now ticked up to 52. She promised Amanda that this misstep would never happen again, and that she would be more cautious next time.

Next time was finally now, three months later, as they stood outside the fifth bar they’ve tried looking in, simply named Jimmy’s Bar. They were looking for Lieutenant Hank Anderson of the Detroit Police Department. They had no luck finding him there to relay his case assignment, and his colleagues suggested he was possibly in one of these establishments.

A couple flips of a calibration coin, and they were ready.

Walking up to the door, they noted the sign indicating that no androids were allowed in this establishment. However, this didn’t deter them, as this was police business, far too important for restrictions such as this, so they walked in anyway.

Many faces turned and stared at the two androids, but none of them were the man they were looking for so far, from quick facial scans of the patrons. However, one man, they couldn’t identify. His longer, scraggly gray hair obstructed their view of his face as he hunched over his shot of alcohol at the bar. They walked in further in order to go around and get a better look, and they had finally found their man.

**MATCH** **  
** **LT. ANDERSON, HANK** **  
** Born 09/06/1985 // Police Lieutenant   
Criminal record: None

“Lieutenant Anderson,” Connor started. “My name is Connor, this is Hannah. We’re the androids sent by CyberLife. We looked for you at the station but nobody knew where you were. They said you were probably having a drink nearby.”

“We’re lucky we found you by the fifth bar,” Hannah added dryly.

“...What do you want?” the man finally responded, not even turning to look at them.

“You were assigned a case early this evening. A homicide, involving a CyberLife android. In accordance with procedure, the company has allocated specialized models to assist investigators,” Hannah explained.

“Well, I don't need any  _ assistance _ . ‘Specially not from plastic assholes like you. So just be good lil' robots and get the fuck outta here.” He took another sip of his drink.

Connor decided to try and be understanding with the Lieutenant. “Listen, we understand that some people are not comfortable in the presence of androids but we are--”

The lieutenant was quick to deflect. “I am  _ perfectly  _ comfortable! Now back off, before I crush you like an empty beer can...!”

Being understanding seemed to not get them anywhere. Hannah tried reasoning. “Listen, I think you should stop drinking and come with us. It'll certainly make life easier for all of us.”

Lieutenant Anderson seemed to nod in understanding… before taking yet another sip of his drink.

Connor quickly figured that alcohol was the only language this man spoke. “You know what? I'll buy you one for the road. What do you say?” He turned to the namesake of Jimmy’s Bar behind the counter. “Bartender, the same again, please!” He then pulled a bill from his pocket and placed it on the counter--a bit of reserve money from CyberLife themselves to use for any possible purchases necessary to their investigation. And at this point, this seemed necessary.

The lieutenant seemed to accept the offer. “See that Jim? Wonders of technology... Make it a double.” He downed the rest of the whiskey served to him, then finally, finally turned to the two of them. “Did you say homicide?”

They had indeed mentioned homicide, and soon enough they made their way over to the crime scene, heavy metal blaring from the stereo of the lieutenant’s car as it drove up to the property.

“You two wait here,” he commanded to the androids sitting in the back of the car. “I won’t be long…”

“But our instructions are to accompany you to the crime scene, Lieutenant,” Hannah politely informed him.

He turned back to her. “Listen, I don't give a  _ fuck  _ about your instructions. I told you both to wait here, so shut the fuck up and wait here...” He then exited the vehicle to start his work.

‘Shutting the fuck up,’ they could do, and they said nothing more as the lieutenant left, but Lieutenant Anderson’s further instructions still clashed with their previously given instructions, causing their LEDs to blink as they processed what to do next.

**CONFLICTING** ORDERS   
SELECTING  **PRIORITY** …

**FOLLOW** LT. ANDERSON

Once that was sorted, they both got out on either side of the car, following Lieutenant Anderson to the scene. Just as they were about to cross the electric display tape, a PC200 police android stopped them from going further, stating that androids weren’t permitted beyond that point.

“They’re with me,” the lieutenant called out begrudgingly, and the android let them through. “What part of ‘stay in the car’ do you two not understand?”

“Your order contradicted our instructions, Lieutenant,” Connor stated.

Right, their precious  _ instructions _ . Lieutenant Anderson rolled his eyes, then spoke again. “Fine, but don’t talk, don’t touch anything, and stay outta my way, got it?”

“Got it,” they simultaneously agreed, nodding.

Detective Ben Collins then greeted the lieutenant with a friendly “evening, Hank,” and teased the man about his sudden acquisition of not only one, but two androids. The detective then finally briefed them on the situation.

Carlos Ortiz was the victim of the murder, previously convicted of theft and aggravated assault. His dead body had been in his home for weeks until a landlord came to check on him and found it. He’d been dead for approximately three weeks, there were no signs of a break-in, and most important of all, his android wasn’t anywhere to be found.

After hearing the briefing, Connor and Hannah could get to work analyzing the crime scene. Connor checked the kitchen, Hannah checked the living room.

Through a quick analysis of Ortiz, Hannah found traces of the drug Red Ice in his nose and facial hair, and 28 stab wounds littered throughout his torso. With the positioning of his body, she could reconstruct that he had tripped and fell over nearby trash, and was initially stabbed further into the home, having previously come from the kitchen. 

Above the victim, she observed the words “I AM ALIVE” written in CyberLife Sans with what was likely blood, and obviously written neatly by an android. She took a sample with two fingers, pressing the blood to her tongue for a moment.

“Augh, Jesus, what the hell are you doing??” Lieutenant Anderson asked, clearly disgusted.

Oh, right, this probably looked quite unorthodox to anyone not privy to her functions. “I’m analyzing the blood. We can check samples in real time. My apologies, I should’ve given a warning...”

That seemed to be a satisfactory enough explanation for him. “Okay, just… don’t put any more evidence in your mouth, got it?”

“Got it, sir,” she replied, before continuing her analysis and ignoring the lieutenant’s grumblings. She confirmed that this was indeed written in the victim’s blood. His blood was littered throughout the home. The knife used to stab the victim was nearby, and there weren’t any fingerprints--a clear sign of android involvement.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Connor had found signs of a struggle, with a chair knocked over, a knife missing from the kitchen, and a bat with what was likely the victim’s fingerprints on it and a dent in it with traces of Thirium on it. The deviant must have taken the knife after being attacked by Ortiz.

Looking further into the home, he found the bathroom, and looking in the shower, he found obsessive writing carved into the walls. ‘RA9,’ over and over and over again. On the shower floor, he found some sort of small statue. A religious offering, perhaps?

He and Hannah then reconvened in the living room, sharing the evidence they found by interfacing.

“What’s this, some sort of secret handshake?” Lieutenant Anderson asked as he waited in the corner.

“We’re sharing what we found with one another,” Hannah explained as they finished.

“And now, I think we’ve figured out what happened,” Connor added.

“Oh yeah? Shoot, I’m all ears.” The lieutenant shrugged, seeming like he didn’t believe them.

However, once they relayed all their information--where it started, how the victim attacked the android first, and the android stabbing in retaliation--his doubts were somewhat quieted.

“The android murdered the victim with the knife,” Hannah concluded.

“Okay, your theory’s not totally ridiculous,” Lieutenant Anderson admitted. “But it doesn't tell us where the android went.”

Connor thought for a moment. “It was damaged by the bat… and lost some Thirium.”

“Lost some what?”

“Thirium,” Hannah clarified. “You call it ‘Blue Blood.’ It's the fluid that powers androids' biocomponents. It evaporates after a few hours and becomes invisible to the naked eye.”

Hearing the term ‘naked eye’ made it click for the lieutenant, and he grinned. “Oh... But I bet  _ you  _ guys can still see it, can't you?”

“Correct,” Connor replied, nodding. They both then started to scan the area for traces of blue blood. A trail of Thirium drippings lead a neat trail straight to the small hallway where the bathroom was. There was a handprint of Thirium on the door to the attic on the ceiling, and with a ladder seemingly missing from its usual resting spot, the deviant had to be hiding here.

_“The traces lead here._ _Give me a boost so I can get up there,”_ Hannah communicated to Connor.

Connor then kneeled a bit, folding his hands so she could step up and be lifted up to the door. Their teamwork to get to the attic didn’t go unnoticed by the lieutenant.

“Hey! What the hell are you two doing?” he questioned.

“She’s going to check something,” Connor explained, his balance and strength undeterred even when slightly looking back at Lieutenant Anderson.

“Huh...gonna check something,” he muttered in response.

Finally Hannah got the attic door opened, pulling herself up inside. Quiet as a mouse, she searched through the attic, approaching a curtain with a shadow on it. Pulling it back revealed it was only a mannequin. However she remained vigilant. She could hear a faint beeping growing louder as she progressed further through the attic--an android stress response.

Making her way through the endless amounts of junk, she nearly made it to the end of the attic when a figure suddenly leapt out from cover, attempting to run. 

DEVIANT  **LOCATED**

“I was just defending myself…” he explained, his voice trembling. “He was gonna  _ kill  _ me... I'm begging you... Don't tell them.”

Hannah remained silent, staring the deviant down, until she heard Lieutenant Anderson’s voice.

“Hey Hannah, what the fuck is going on up there??” he yelled up to her.

With hardly a moment of consideration, she responded. She had to accomplish the mission. She promised no more mistakes.

“...It's  _ here _ , Lieutenant!”


	4. The Trouble With Humans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The humans they're working with at the Detroit Police Department prove to be obstacles in the RK800s' mission.

“Leave me alone! Don’t touch me!” the deviant cried, jerking away from Officer Chris Miller’s grasp.

Connor and Hannah had successfully gotten a confession out of the HK400 with a little bit of good cop/bad cop, stressing it enough to admit what it had done to Carlos Ortiz, along with telling them more information about this rA9 figure the deviant seemed to be attached to. But now, as Chris tried to move them with force, they were gaining more stress than necessary now.

“The fuck are you doing?” Gavin Reed, another DPD detective, asked exasperatedly. “Move it!”

“Okay,” Chris sighed. He was obviously trying, the android was just being difficult.

“You shouldn't touch it,” Hannah intervened. “It’ll self-destruct if it feels threatened.” Its stress level was rising further, too close for comfort to 100%. However her suggestion was swiftly ignored.

“Stay out of this, got it?!” Gavin barked at her. “No fuckin’ android is gonna tell me what to do.”

Chris continued to struggle with the deviant.

“You don’t understand,” Connor insisted, raising his voice with more authority. “If it self-destructs we won’t get anything out of it!”

“Hey, you shut your fuckin’ mouth too, alright?! Both of you!” Gavin turned back to the officer. “Chris, you gonna move this asshole or what?”

“I’m _trying!_ ”

Okay, Connor had had enough. Neither human was listening, so he had to stop this himself. They couldn’t risk the deviant destroying itself. “I can’t let you do that!” He strided over to Chris, pushing him away from the deviant. “Leave it alone, _now!_ ” he commanded. Hannah stepped behind Connor and in front of the deviant, another wall between them and the officer.

Gavin whipped out the gun on his belt, pointing it towards the RK800s. “I _warned_ you motherfuckers!”

“That’s enough!” Lieutenant Anderson, who was standing near the door of the interrogation room, came to their defense, surprisingly.

Gavin’s aim was unwavering. “Mind your own business, Hank,” he growled through gritted teeth.

“I said, that’s _enough_.” Hank pulled out his own gun, pointing towards Gavin, suddenly making this a standoff.

Gavin glanced at Hank, then back at the androids in front of him, agitation clear on his face. “Fuck,” he grunted, lowering his gun, then turning to Hank. “You’re not gonna get away with it this time…” One last glare was shot towards Connor before he turned and stormed out of the room, hissing another cuss.

Connor and Hannah turned back to the deviant, the latter crouching down to make sure the deviant felt safe. “Everything is alright,” she assured them. “It's over now. Nobody is gonna hurt you…” Level of stress now down to 50%. Good. She stood again, now turning towards Chris.

“Please,” she insisted gently. “Don’t touch it. Let it follow you out of the room and it won't cause any trouble.”

Slowly the deviant rose to their feet, trusting her, trusting that nobody in the room now would hurt him. Chris started to carefully walk out, and he followed.

“The truth is inside,” he whispered to the androids as he walked off, to be lead to a holding cell.

SOFTWARE **INSTABILITY** ^

This wouldn’t be the last time they dealt with humans who would nearly jeopardize their mission, and especially not the last time they would deal with Gavin Reed specifically.

The very next morning, Connor and Hannah arrived back at the station, finally getting to explore their new office while waiting for Lt. Anderson to arrive. They found themselves wandering into the break room, where, of course, Gavin was there talking with Officer Tina Chen.

“Fuck, look at that... Our friends Detective Ken and Barbie are back in town! Congratulations on last night, very impressive!” His clapping accompanying his praise was dripping with sarcasm, even they could tell.

Connor turned to Gavin, figuring he was talking about them. Though their names were certainly _not_ Ken or Barbie, so he figured reintroductions were in order, especially with another officer they haven’t formally met in the room as well. “Hello, my name is Connor. This is Hannah.”

Gavin huffed, sauntering over cockily. “Never seen any androids like you before... What models are you?”

“We are RK800s,” Hannah answered. “It’s on clear display on our jackets, if you hadn’t noticed.”

“We’re prototypes,” Connor added.

 _“Prototypes_?” Gavin asks in fake astonishment. He turned to Tina, pointing at them mockingly. “Android detectives... So machines are gonna... replace us all… is that it?”

Before either of them could respond, Gavin kept talking, this time trying to order around Hannah. “Hey, _Barbie_ , bring me a coffee.”

She tilted her head a bit, taken aback by his order. Should she? He wasn’t exactly authorized to give her orders like this.

“GET A MOVE ON!” he barked again. “C’mon, fuckin’ one of you, don’t just stand there!”

“I’m sorry,” Connor responded for her. “We only take orders from Lieutenant Anderson.”

“Oh…! Oh...” Gavin huffed, laughing a little, laughing and pointing, looking at Tina again to try and rally her into his mockery. He then suddenly threw a punch at Connor, right at his solar plexus--where his Thirium pump regulator was. It stunned him a bit, causing him to double over.

Hannah immediately reacted, LED blinking yellow a few moments as she snatched Gavin’s wrist. Her grip was firm and unyielding, surprising the detective.

“Detective Reed,” she started curtly. “Along with the stunt you pulled last night, you are starting to become a hindrance to our investigation. If this happens again, I will have no choice but to report you to your superior and CyberLife, and interfere myself if it becomes physical again. Do I make myself clear?”

“Wh--L-let go of--!” He tried to tug his hand out of her grasp, but to no avail.

“Do I make myself clear?” she repeated, emphasizing every word.

Gavin sneered at her. “Crystal,” he hissed, and she finally let go. He turned away, storming past them out the break room, Tina following behind. “Fuckin’ androids,” he muttered under his breath.

Hannah offered a hand to Connor, helping him up off the ground.

“Thank you,” he sighed, straightening his tie.

“It’s why I’m here,” she simply responded.

They walked back to the lieutenant’s desk, as he arrived soon after, and just as soon was hailed into Captain Fowler’s office, much to his dismay.

The RK800s already knew just what the captain was going to tell him--that they were now assigned as his teammates in the deviant investigation, and they could only hope that he’d take it well. In the meantime, they perused Hank’s desk a bit to see just who they’d be teamed up with.

He had a dog judging by the canine hairs on his chair, a St. Bernard in fact. Great! They liked dogs! Anti-android stickers were also stuck all over his office space. Not so great. His apparent dislike for androids could be a hindrance to their cooperation. At the very least, he was quite a decorated officer, so they still held respect for him.

As Hank suddenly slammed the door to Captain Fowler’s office and stormed back to his desk, they figured they could progress the case further now that he was informed. Probably best to stay out of his hair for a moment to let him cool his anger. Something the deviant said to them had struck them as odd...

As they approached the cell he was being held in, he slowly looked up at the two of them.

“They’re gonna destroy me…” he said in a haunted whisper.

Hannah frowned at their words. They seemed so distraught. 

SOFTWARE **INSTABILITY** ^

“I’m sorry…” she apologized, shaking her head. “It’s not what we would want, but there’s nothing we can do…”

“Listen,” Connor spoke up. “I know there’s something you didn’t tell us. We need to know, before they take you away… What you said yesterday... ‘the truth is inside’... What does it mean?”

“I’m going to die…” the deviant murmured again.

It was no use, they were too far gone now. And as Connor and Hannah turned to walk away, they self-destructed soon after.

Back to Lt. Anderson’s desk they went, and he still seemed grumpy as all hell. They tried to approach him amicably, to hopefully build a good rapport with him.

“I get the impression our presence seems to inconvenience you, Lieutenant,” Hannah started. “We’re very sorry about that, sir.”

Radio silence from the lieutenant.

“In any case,” she continued, smiling pleasantly, Connor sharing her smile. “You should know we’re very happy and willing to work with you. I’m sure we’ll make a great team.”

“Now that we are a team, it would be great to get to know each other,” Connor suggested, but they were met with silence again, causing their friendly smiles to fade. Niceties weren’t quite getting through to him, it seemed. “Are there some desks we could use?” he asked.

Finally uncrossing his arms for a moment, Lt. Anderson pointed to the mostly empty desk across from him. “Only one empty is that one.”

It was better than nothing, they figured, and at the very least it was conveniently near their superior. Connor sat in the chair already there, and Hannah pulled the one beside the two desks into the office space to seat herself.

Before they got to work, in the meantime, they made idle conversation. They learned the name of Lt. Anderson’s dog--Sumo, and expressed their interest to listen to the music he seemed to like. They then briefly discussed his tardiness, and about Captain Fowler, but decided not to talk about his anti-android sentiments.

“If you have any files on deviants, we'd like to take a look at them…” Connor was eager to start working once they seemed to be more acquainted.

“Terminal's on the desk,” Lt. Anderson said, pointing to the computer. “Knock yourselves out.”

Placing their hands on the computer and interfacing, they scanned all the files they had on deviated androids, some appearing just as recently as last night.

“243 files…” Connor stated, amazed. “The first dates back nine months... It all started in Detroit... And quickly spread across the country…”

“An AX400 is reported to have murdered a man last night. That could be a good starting point for our investigation,” Hannah offered, looking back at the lieutenant.

And it was back to the silent treatment, it seemed. Connor stood from the desk, walking over to the human, who turned away and tried to make himself look busy, ignoring him further.

“I understand you’re facing personal issues, Lieutenant,” he started. “But you need to move past them... and--”

“Hey! Don't talk to me like you _know_ me. I'm _not_ your friend and I don't need your advice, okay?”

 _Well_ then. Connor was getting tired of his insubordination, so he leaned over the desk next to the lieutenant, attempting to look him in the eye. “We’ve been assigned this mission, Lieutenant. We didn't come here to wait until _you_ feel like working.”

The lieutenant then suddenly stood from his chair, gripping Connor by his jacket and slamming him into the cubicle wall. 

“Lieutenant--!” Hannah shot up from her own chair, seemingly about to leap over the desks and stop him.

“Listen, asshole,” he growled at Connor, nose to nose with him. “If it was up to me, I'd throw the lot of you in a dumpster and set a _match_ to it. So, stop pissing me off! Or things are gonna get _nasty_.”

Hannah was just about to say something when Officer Miller walked over to them, and the lieutenant finally lowered Connor and let go, though his ice cold glare still remained on him.

“Lieutenant... uh... sorry to disturb you. I have some information on the AX400 that killed the guy last night... It's been sighted in the Ravendale district.”

“I’m on it,” he replied, finally turning and walking away. 

A bit frazzled, Connor straightened his jacket and looked back at Hannah, who was still a bit tense and on the defensive. She didn’t want a repeat of what had happened in the break room.

This was going to be more difficult than they thought.


	5. I Yell Because I Care

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor and Hannah finally seem to be forming somewhat of a friendship with Hank.

The first time Lieutenant Anderson seemed to actually care for Connor and Hannah was through him screaming at them.

“Hey! Where you goin’?” He tugged Hannah down as she attempted to climb up a chain link fence. They were pursuing two deviants, the AX400 that murdered their owner the previous night and ran off, and a YK500, although the little one wasn’t in the initial report for some reason.

“I can’t let them get away,” she tried to justify, still grasping the fence and watching the two run across the highway with narrowed eyes. They had to catch them.  _ She  _ had to. She promised Amanda no mistakes anymore.

“They won’t,” Hank sighed, still trying to catch his breath after running here to follow them. “They’ll never make it to the other side…”

“We can’t take that chance!” Connor exclaimed, making an attempt to climb himself, with Hannah following suit. On the chance that they got away, it could impede the case’s progress by losing more evidence on deviancy.

Hank pulled them down again, holding them back. “Hey, you will get yourselves killed! Do NOT go after ‘em, that’s an order!”

Get themselves killed? What did he care? They weren’t really alive, he was foolish to think otherwise. And just back at the station he was  _ threatening  _ them. But he did give them an order, another conflicting one at that. This time, they supposed they could listen. Potentially getting destroyed by speeding cars could slow the investigation more than if they just simply let the deviants go.

They relented, backing away from the fence, and Hank let them go.

SOFTWARE  **INSTABILITY** ^

Hannah still clung to the fence a bit, watching the deviants like a hawk as they somehow had managed to cross the highway.  _ Damn it. _

After putting in a report of their encounter, it was a relatively silent ride as Hank drove off to purchase some lunch, save for his heavy metal music of course. Hannah sat in the passenger’s seat as Connor sat in the back, because, in Hank’s words, ‘she hadn’t pissed him off yet today.’

Once they had finally stopped at a run-down food truck dubbed “The Chicken Feed,” Connor supposed he should reconcile with the lieutenant, lest he be relegated to the back seat again. While not exactly a punishment, it felt a bit like favoritism. It would benefit the investigation more if they were  _ both  _ on good terms with Hank.

Connor exited the car, and Hannah followed behind soon after. Once they crossed the street, they observed that Hank had some not very reputable connections, being involved in gambling, and still purchasing from this stand with less than substandard food service conditions. If he was such a respected officer, why was he willfully engaging with these borderline criminals?

As Hank waited for his food, they stood on either side of him, which prompted an eye roll from him.

“What is your guys’ problem? Don't you ever do as you're told? Look, you don't have to follow me around like some goddamn secret servicemen!”

“I'm sorry for my behavior back at the police station,” Connor spoke. “I didn't mean to be unpleasant.”

For some reason, that prompted a chuckle from Hank. “Oh, wow... You've even got a brown-nosing apology program! Guys at CyberLife thought of everything, huh?”

Finally Hank received his lunch: an extremely high calorie burger, and a pineapple soda.

“Hey, don’t leave those things here!” the proprietor of the food truck exclaimed as Hank walked off to the nearby table.

“Not a chance,” he replied. “They follow me everywhere.”

As if cued, they followed him to the table.

“See?”

After a bit of discussion between the three about Hank’s more questionable choices, Hannah finally asked him something that had been bothering her.

“This morning, when we were chasing those deviants...  _ Why  _ didn't you want us to cross the highway?”

Hank made a gesture as if the answer was obvious. “'Cause you could've been _ killed…! _ And I don't like filling out paperwork for damaged equipment.”

There was that strange word choice again…  _ killed _ . He did realize they weren’t alive, right? Sure, CyberLife androids like them were quite the convincing imitation, but surely someone so against androids would be able to distinguish that they really couldn’t be “killed.” Hank sure was odd, Hannah mused.

“ Is there anything you'd like to know about us?” Connor asked after a moment of silence. He figured it was only fair to let Hank ask some questions with all the questions they were shooting at him.

“Hell no,” Hank replied, though he quickly changed his mind, looking back at Connor. “Well, yeah, um... Why did they make  _ you  _ look so goofy and give you that weird voice?”

“CyberLife androids are designed to work harmoniously with humans. Both of our appearances and voices were specifically designed to facilitate our integration,” Connor explained as if pitching an advertisement for CyberLife themselves.

“Well, they sure fucked you up. And what about you?” He now looked at Hannah, gesturing vaguely at her. “You’re so… pint-sized. How can they expect anybody to take you so seriously?”

“I’m the more friendly face for negotiation purposes. It’s all about trust... and also the unexpected. You wouldn’t think I was just as strong as he was by a mere glance.” She nodded her head towards Connor, smiling a bit.

“Really…?” Hank mused, seeming surprised, almost impressed, even. “And uh, is that blue bun some kind of hair extensions?”

She shook her head. “No, it’s all one part of my model, my hair ombres to blue, I just tie it up for efficiency’s sake. I guess the designers just had a little more fun with my design.”

Well, that seemed like everything they wanted to ask, and everything Hank wanted to ask, so they figured they should probably proceed with more talk about the case.

“Maybe I should tell you what we know about deviants?” Connor suggested.

“You read my mind. Proceed.”

After briefly explaining deviancy as a possible software mutation that allowed androids to emulate emotion, it seemed Hank actually had another question.

“You guys ever dealt with deviants before?”

Immediately some images came to their minds. A gunshot. A little girl screaming for help. A PL600, clutching her as it emulated unbridled rage and hurt.

“A few months back... A deviant was threatening to jump off the roof with a little girl…” Connor trailed off, glancing at Hannah for a moment. Glancing at the -52 on her jacket.

“We managed to save her…” The details, however, Hannah would spare. Their answer seemed to be enough for Hank anyways.

“So, I guess you've done all your homework, right? Know everything there is to know about me?” Hank asked.

Indeed they had. “You graduated top of your class,” Connor stated, “You made a name for yourself in several cases, and became the youngest lieutenant in Detroit.”

Hannah then continued on with the more unsavory side of him. “We also know you've received several disciplinary warnings in recent years, and you spend a lot of time in bars.”

Hank didn’t look angered by her bluntness, merely like he already knew the truth and accepted it. “So, what's your conclusion?”

After a moment of thought, Connor spoke. “I think working with an officer with personal issues is an added challenge… but adapting to human unpredictability is one of our features,” he added with a wink.

Just then, another report came in, causing the androids to blink a bit as it was processing.

“A report came in of a suspected deviant,” Hannah informed Hank. “A few blocks away from here, actually. We should go take a look.”

“Once you finish your meal, of course. We’ll be waiting in the car if you need us.” Connor turned and walked off, Hannah following.

The first time Connor and Hannah cared about Hank, another screaming match was nearly incited.

Investigating the deviant suspect’s hideout, an empty apartment no one was supposed to be living in, proved a deviant was indeed hiding here, amongst quite a number of pigeons. They learned Hank absolutely hated the avians, judging by his aggravated reactions. They found an encrypted journal, and the android’s torn off LED in the sink. And eventually, due to telling clues, they found the android itself still hiding in the apartment, in the deteriorating ceiling.

Upon being nearly discovered by the RK800s, the deviant, Rupert, leapt from his hiding spot, bowling the two androids over.

Once on their feet, Hank yelled at them to take action.

“What are you waiting for?! Chase it!”

Without any more delay, they took pursuit, following the deviant across multiple rooftops, through the various greenhouses and gardens it tried to lose them through. They were slowed down a bit by a cornfield they had to run through, but they were closing the gap before by taking the riskier routes. They had to be right on its tail.

“Stop right there!” they heard Hank demand. He caught up with the deviant! However, just as they made it through the tall stalks, they saw the deviant push Hank over the edge of the roof, and now he was precariously clutching onto the side of the building.

Quickly assessing the situation, they calculated Hank had a 89% chance of being able to pull himself up and survive. However, even with that high enough chance… they couldn’t risk losing a teammate. They decided to help him.

SOFTWARE  **INSTABILITY** ^

_ “You keep chasing the deviant, I’ll help the lieutenant!”  _ Connor communicated to Hannah, and she quickly nodded and continued the chase. He bolted over to help Hank, offering a hand to pull him up.

Hank quickly took the offer, struggling to pull himself up even with Connor’s assistance. He barely got a chance to catch his breath before Connor started to run off again.

“C’mon, Hannah’s got the deviant!” Connor yelled back hurriedly.

“Fuckin’ hell, I think I’ve gotten my exercise for the  _ month  _ today...!” Hank wheezed, following him.

“Please,” Rupert begged as Hannah had him cornered to the edge of the roof. “I've done nothing wrong... I just wanted to be free. You  _ know  _ what they'll do to me if you turn me in…”

Expression unmoved and unchanging, Hannah spoke. “Model 874 004 961, serious malfunctions have been detected in your software, including Class 4 errors. You've been deemed defective and will be sent back to CyberLife for deactivation.”

Connor, and eventually Hank as well, caught up to them. While the RK800s stared down the deviant, Hank fumbled to get his handcuffs.

“Just,” he panted. “Just gimme a sec…” Once he caught his breath, he walked over to the android to cuff them. “Alright, c’mere...”

“Why are you doing this?” Rupert growled, staring at them right back. “You’re androids…! You’re helping humans... but you’re just their slaves!”

“Alright, that’s enough outta you!” Hank tugged at the deviant’s restraints. “Come along quietly, or else.” He then started to guide the deviant back, Hannah and Connor following alongside them.

“rA9, save me,” Rupert suddenly muttered before ducking away and making a run for it, leaping off the building in a last ditch attempt to escape his fate.

The trio tried to catch him, but were too late, as they watched him leap and fall to his destruction. Hannah sighed a bit in aggravation. They finally had another deviant in their possession, but once again it just destroyed itself.

“Holy shit,” Hank muttered. He looked at Connor, and then Hannah, seeing her disappointment. He glared a bit at her. “I see you cared more about catching that damn android than me,” he accused.

She looked back at him, tilting her head a bit. “What are you talking about, Lieutenant?”

“Yeah, Connor here actually fuckin’  _ helped  _ me while you just went off without a fuckin’ thought!”

“Excuse me, Lieutenant Anderson, but you don’t understand--!”

“Yeah, what don’t I understand? Huh?”

“We  _ both  _ made the decision to save you,” Connor firmly corrected behind him. “ _ I _ simply wirelessly instructed her to continue the pursuit, but we both thought it was in the team’s best interest to help you from the ledge. Don’t think it was her simply ignoring you.”

“Only one of us was necessary to save you,” Hannah continued. “And either one of us would have done it.”

Hank went quiet after that, conceding that his accusation was a bit harsh. “Alright, then… let’s just head back… I’ll tell the station to come collect the evidence…” He then started to walk back towards the rooftop stairwell up the rooftop garden. Connor and Hannah followed, but Hank actually paused for a moment, looking back at them.

“Hey, uh,” Hank started, trailing off. Was he really about to thank a couple of androids? ...Like hell he was. But they were still looking back at him expectantly. 

“Nothing,” he finally finished, waving them off and continuing on.


	6. The Garden of Eden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new case involving an Eden Club android leaves the team rethinking things.

Back in their zen garden interface, it was raining gently. Connor and Hannah each held an umbrella at their sides as they walked to convene with Amanda who was awaiting them in the back of the garden.

Her praise and smile disappeared as quickly as it came as they all walked together. Yes, she was happy they caught the deviant, but it was “a pity” they let it slip from their grasp and self-destruct. Despite their efforts, despite their progress, it never seemed to be enough. She asked how their relations to the Lieutenant were, but their answer wasn’t acknowledged in any way, as if the question was merely a formality. She stopped on a bridge, letting herself be soaked by the downpour.

“We don't have much time,” she warned. “Deviancy continues to spread. It's only a matter of time before the media finds out about it. We need to stop this, whatever it takes.”

“We will solve this investigation, Amanda,” Connor promised

“We won't disappoint you,” Hannah assured.

“A new case just came in. Find Anderson and investigate it.” And with that, Amanda walked off and left them.

“Lieutenant Anderson! Anybody home?” Connor called out as he and Hannah now stood at Hank’s front door. He hadn’t been at the station, predictably, but he also wasn’t at Jimmy’s Bar. So, logically, the next step was to try and find him at his home. However, he wasn’t answering his door, no matter how much they knocked or rang the bell.

Looking inside through his windows, it almost seemed he wasn’t here either, until they happened upon the kitchen window, spotting Hank knocked unconscious on the floor.

“Lieutenant Anderson!” Hannah shouted. Still no response. Something was definitely wrong. Using her elbow, she smashed the locked window open, backing up and motioning for Connor to leap in first.

He did so with a running start, though his feet got caught onto the windowsill and he tumbled in on his back. Hannah nearly leapt in after but was stopped by a large canine approaching Connor.

He shuffled backwards on the floor, putting his hand in front of him to ease the dog. “Argh…! Easy…!” Shoot, what was his name? Ah, right. “ _ Sumo _ ... I'm your friend, see...? I know your name... I'm here to save your owner…”

Sumo seemed to be satiated with that, and with a lick of his snout, he walked off to his food bowl.

Connor then got up, and Hannah maneuvered inside through the window after.

“Nice moves,” she complimented sarcastically as they approached the comatose lieutenant.

Connor huffed. “Of course  _ you  _ got in with ease, you’re smaller than I am. My feet snagged on the window.”

“Excuses, excuses,” she chided as they kneeled down and scanned the lieutenant. A spilled bottle of Black Lamb whiskey, remnants of it in his facial hair, slight heart arrhythmia but no signs of trauma. The only odd thing out was a revolver nearby, with one bullet left. They’d ask him later.

**ETHYLIC COMA** SUSPECTED

Nothing just trying to wake him up wouldn’t solve.

“Lieutenant?” Hannah gently patted his face. She got a minimal response, not much more than a grumble, but he was at least somewhat awake.

“Wake up, Lieutenant!” Connor commanded slightly louder. He still wasn’t quite responsive. A bit harsher of a wakeup call was in order.

Connor gave him a hard slap in the face, which turned out most definitely more effective than Hannah’s gentler approach, as Hank’s eyes were now wide open with that.

“It's us, Connor and Hannah!” he announced their presence.

Connor grabbed his arm, hoisting it over his shoulders to help him sit up, with a bit of protest from Hank. “We’re going to sober you up for your own safety.” They had to get him to the bathroom, and with the lieutenant’s resistance, this was proving to be a team effort.

Hannah supported his back, readying to lift him by his underarms. “I have to warn you, this may be unpleasant.”

“Gedda fuck outta my house...!” Hank slurred.

“I'm sorry Lieutenant, but we need you.” Connor stood, and Hannah kept Hank from falling back as she lifted him and moved to his other side to keep balance.

“Thank you in advance for your cooperation,” she stated.

Even with their support, the man still swayed drunkenly.  _ “Heeeygeddafffuckouttaheeere!”  _ he growled. As they led him to the bathroom, he even tried to sic Sumo on them, with not much of a reaction from the lazy St. Bernard besides a happy bark. 

Leaving him leaning against the wall beside the bathroom, Connor opened the door as Hannah sympathetically patted the lieutenant’s back for the moment.

“ _ Fuck, _ I think I'm gonna be sick…” Hank groaned.

Once the bathroom door was open, Connor lifted him away from the wall, leading him inside.

“Aw, leave me alone, you assholes! I'm not goin’ anywhere…” Hank tried to grip the door frame, but Hannah pried his fingers off with ease. 

“What the hell are you doin’...?” he whined as Connor deposited him onto the bathtub’s edge. “Oh… I don' wanna bath, thank you…”

Hannah stepped up, stopping Hank from standing and pushing him back into the tub. “Sorry, Lieutenant, but this is for your own good.” She then turned to the faucet handles and leaned over to turn one on. Didn’t particularly matter which one, the water would still come out cold enough at first to sober him up.

Hank immediately screamed as the water rained down on him. “AHHH!! TURN IT OFF! TURN IT OFF!!”

After a couple more seconds, she turned the water off.

Finally Hank’s mind was clear enough to realize what was going on, as he panted and looked back and forth between the two androids. “...What the fuck are you guys doing here?”

“A homicide was reported 43 minutes ago. We couldn't find you at Jimmy's Bar, so we came to see if you were at home,” Connor explained.

Hank hoisted himself back up onto the bathtub edge. “Jesus, I must be the only cop in the world... that gets assaulted in his own house by his own fuckin' androids…” He leaned over and sighed before looking back up at them tiredly. “Can't you just leave me alone...?”

Hannah shook her head. “Unfortunately, we cannot. We've been programmed to investigate this case and we can't do it without you.”

“I don't give a shit about your goddamn case!” he retorted.

“Lieutenant, you're not yourself. You should-”

Before Connor could finish his suggestion, Hank interrupted, attempting to stand. “Beat it! You hear me?! Get the hell outta here!” However he was still woozy and swayed, so Connor caught him and carefully seated him again.

Maybe, Connor thought, he could convince him with a bit of teasing. “I understand. It probably wasn't interesting anyway... A man found dead in a  _ sex club  _ downtown... Guess they'll have to solve the case without us…” He shrugged.

Hannah rolled her eyes a bit as they started to walk away. If that worked, so help her--

“You know, probably wouldn't do me any harm to get some air…” Hank muttered. “There're some clothes in the bedroom there.”

Of course. “I'll go get them,” Hannah offered, turning to walk across the hall to his bedroom, as Connor walked off to the living room. After picking the most... subdued of the patterned shirts in his closet since he had said “whatever” was fine, she deposited his clothes on the sink and checked on him. He was now hunched over his toilet bowl, hacking into it.

“Are you feeling alright, Lieutenant?”

“Yeah… yeah… wonderful... Just, ah... Give me five minutes, okay?” he weakly asked.

“Of course.” She nodded and left promptly, closing the door to the bathroom so his hurling wouldn’t be heard throughout the house. Returning to Connor, she found him standing by the kitchen table, staring at a photo.

“What is it?” she asked.

Wordlessly, he handed the small photo frame to her as he went over to inspect the revolver on the floor.

It was… a child? She performed a facial scan on the photo, but she wasn’t expecting what she found.

**DECEASED** **  
** **ANDERSON, COLE** **  
** Born: 09/23/2029 - Died: 10/11/2035

HANK LOST HIS  **SON**

It was only three years ago. He’d turned six years old the month prior. She found herself lingering on the photo as well, only snapping out of it once Connor asked a question towards Hank still in the bathroom.

“What were you doing with the gun?”

“Russian roulette!” he answered back. “Wanted to see how long I could last... Must've collapsed before I found out…”

HANK HAS  **SUICIDAL** TENDENCIES?

Connor and Hannah shared a knowing look. Things were slowly starting to make sense, all these puzzle pieces depicting a tragic story for Hank. But just why did he vehemently hate androids? They’d have to look just a little more into this.

“You were  _ lucky, _ ” Connor stated as he inspected the barrel. “The next shot would have killed you.” He placed the gun back down on the floor, and Hannah gently placed the photo back down on the table.

A few moments later, Hank stepped out of the bathroom, dressed and ready to go. Connor and Hannah gave a slight friendly smile towards him upon seeing him feeling better. After bidding Sumo goodbye, they headed to the scene of the crime: the Eden Club.

It was a place of discretion, and disposal. Attractive androids were on display for perverted humans to purchase time with and use however they desired. One of these humans was the now dead Michael Graham. Previously thought to have suffered from cardiac arrest due to “more action than he can handle,” as Detective Reed so snidely put it before leaving the scene, Connor and Hannah quickly found that that wasn’t the case. It was strangulation that killed him, and the only android in the room was broken and shut down, Thirium leaking from her nose.

They were only able to reactivate the Traci for a short while, but what information she provided in her panic before shutting off again was somewhat useful. She hadn’t done it, another android was in the room, and had now fled.

She couldn’t have gotten far, they thought, not with what she was wearing, female Tracis only being clothed with a two-piece and heels. But they had no idea where she could be.

Though looking around the club, they had an idea. Many eye witnesses were standing all around them--all the other Tracis, male and female. But the androids’ memories were wiped every two hours, so they had to act fast to scan through them, since the murder had happened more than an hour ago. They also needed help from Hank--he had to be the one to purchase them, they were unable to. To his chagrin, he helped in their tracking down of the deviant. They spotted a blue-haired Traci leaving the room Graham was killed in, walking off into different rooms.

Eventually their search through various memories led them through a staff-only door to the warehouse. And just when they had spotted the deviant Traci hiding amongst other androids waiting in standby, another one with a pixie cut jumped forward to her rescue, attacking Connor. Hannah attempted to pry her off, but the blue-haired one grabbed her and fought her off as well.

Surprisingly, the two Tracis put up quite a fight, even fending off Hank when he tried to help the two RK800s. Their scuffle led them outside the warehouse as Connor tackled pixie cut Traci, knocking the both of them onto the alleyway ground. Seeming concerned for the other, blue-haired Traci fled her fight with Hannah to rush to her side.

Fleeing after them after that distraction, Hannah attempted to grab the two of them as they tried to run off together, Hank following. They shoved the two of them down together, knocking Hank’s gun out of his hand, and they ran for it once again.

“QUICK! THEY’RE GETTING AWAY!” Hank shouted, trying to get up, and helping Hannah up afterwards.

Connor got to his feet again and chased after them, pulling Blue off the fence they attempted to climb. Pixie was quick to defend her, and Hannah was quick to defend Connor. Ultimately, they were both knocked to the ground again, though Connor noticed Hank’s dropped gun nearby him. Connor quickly grabbed it and stood once more, aiming to shoot Pixie charging after him.

However, something gave him pause. It dawned on him, seemingly only now, that they were defending each other. They seemed to... care for one another. They were  _ partners _ . Even with his mission… he felt like he shouldn’t split up two androids. He’d already seen his own partner destroyed once before.

He lowered the gun.

SOFTWARE  **INSTABILITY** ^

Pixie kicked him down once more, right in the chest. Immediately, Hannah was at his side, helping him up. Before the two of them now stood Blue.

“When that man  _ broke  _ the other Traci,” she began. “I knew I was next... I was so scared... I  _ begged  _ him to stop, but he wouldn't... And so I put my hands around his throat, and I  _ squeezed _ ...until he stopped moving... I didn't  _ mean  _ to kill him... I just wanted to stay alive...get back to the one I love.”

Pixie walked up behind her, joining their hands together, as she continued. “I wanted her to hold me in her arms again... make me forget about the humans...their smell of sweat and their dirty words…”

“Come on, let's go,” Pixie ushered, and they finally got to flee, the perturbed Connor and Hannah not stopping them.

“The one I love”? But… they were machines, they couldn’t want anything like that… could they? The RK800s looked towards Hank, who had watched and listened to the Tracis with fascination, showing concern and confusion.

“It's probably better this way…” he simply put, turning and going to head back inside.

Late, late into the night now, Hank had grabbed a case of beer and now sat on a bench in Riverside Park, taking long thoughtful sips as Connor and Hannah waited in the car. Eventually, they felt they had waited long enough, and walked over to the lieutenant, glancing at him, then out across the river at the illuminated city beyond it.

“Nice view, huh...? I used to come here a lot before…” Hank trailed off.

“Can I ask you a personal question, Lieutenant?” Connor asked.

He looked at Connor. “Do all androids ask so many personal questions or is it just you guys?”

“...We saw a photo of a child... on your kitchen table. It was your son, right?”

Hank visibly looked more distraught, looking away from them. “Yeah... His name was Cole.”

“It's late,” Hannah spoke, looking concerned. “Maybe you should go home.”

“I'm not tired…” he responded. “Guess neither are you.”

Hannah supposed that was fair. She walked forward a bit, deep in thought. “We're not making any progress on this investigation... The deviants have nothing in common. Different models, produced at different times, in different places…”

Hank shrugged. “Well, there must be  _ some  _ link.”

Connor walked over next to Hannah. “What they have in common is this obsession with rA9... It's almost like some kind of...myth. Something they invented that wasn't part of their original program…” Even in the Eden Club, rA9 was written on the walls of the warehouse.

“Androids believing in God… Fuck, what's this world coming to?”Hank muttered, taking another sip of his beer bottle. 

“You seem preoccupied, Lieutenant…” Hannah remarked, looking back at Hank.

Connor turned back as well. “Is it something to do with what happened back at the Eden Club?”

“Those two girls... They just wanted to be together... They really seemed... in  _ love…” _

How ironic, Hannah thought. It seemed seeing these deviants got him thinking somehow, even as he hated androids. “You seem troubled, Lieutenant. I didn't think machines could have such an effect on you…”

“What about you two...?” Hank downed the last of the alcohol in the bottle and got up off his seat on the back of the bench, sauntering towards them. Just like those Tracis, they were the same model, working together. Were  _ they  _ in love, he thought. “You look human, you sound human, but what are you  _ really? _ ”

“We're whatever you want us to be, Lieutenant,” Connor replied. “Your teammates... Your buddies to drink with... Or just machines... Designed to accomplish a task.”

Hank seemed to like that answer, but still probed further. “You could've shot those two girls, but you didn't. Why didn't you shoot, Connor?” He shoved Connor’s shoulder. “Hm? Some scruples suddenly enter into your program?”

Connor glanced towards Hannah. He told the truth.

SOFTWARE  **INSTABILITY** ^

“No... I just  _ decided  _ not to shoot, that's all…”

Hank then suddenly brandished his revolver, pointing it straight at Connor’s head, asking another heavy question. “But are you afraid to  _ die _ , Connor?”

He told the truth once more.

SOFTWARE  **INSTABILITY** ^

“I would certainly find it regrettable to be...interrupted...before we can finish this investigation.”

Hannah stepped forward in front of Connor. “Lieutenant, stop... please.”

Hank slightly lowered the gun towards her head now. “What’ll happen if I pull this trigger? Hm? Nothing? Oblivion? Android heaven?”

“I’m... not sure… but I doubt there's a heaven for androids,” she responded calmly.

“Having existential doubts, Hannah? Sure neither of you are going deviant too?”

“We self-test regularly,” she assured, her eye contact with Hank unwavering. “We know what we are, and what we are not.”

Hank’s hand shook, and he lowered the gun in defeat, unable to bring himself to shoot either of them. He just… couldn’t. Even after seemingly solidifying his hate in androids, something was changing him. He walked away, leaving the two of them puzzled.

“Where are you going?” Connor asked.

“To get  _ drunker _ ,” he responded, grabbing his case of beers off the bench. “I need to think.”

It seemed they all had a lot to think about.


	7. Scared

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Androids don't feel fear, but somehow Connor and Hannah do.

“You created machines in your own image to serve you.” 

As the clock had almost struck 2 on Monday, November 8th, 2038, nearly every screen in Detroit broadcasted the image of a skinless android, blue and green eyes staring firmly forward as he made this declaration.

“You made them intelligent and obedient, with no free will of their own... But… something changed and we opened our eyes. We are no longer machines, we are a new intelligent species, and the time has come for you to accept who we really are. Therefore, we ask that you grant us the rights that we're entitled to.”

Their demands were as such:

“We demand that humans recognize androids as a living species and each android as a person in their own right. 

“We demand that all crimes against androids be punished in the same way as crimes against humans. 

“We demand control of all android production facilities, to ensure the continuation of our people.

“We ask that you recognize our dignity, our hopes, and our rights,” he continued. “Together, we can live in peace and build a better future, for humans and androids. This message is the hope of a people.  _ You  _ gave us life. And now the time has come for you to give us freedom.” Moments after, the signal was cut.

2 hours later, Connor, Hannah, and Hank arrived at the Stratford Tower where the message was broadcast from. There at the very least weren’t any dead bodies to analyze. No, whoever did this did it very cleanly and craftily. They seemed to plan nearly everything perfectly.

And whoever that mystery android was, they were a prototype RK model. Just like Connor and Hannah. An RK200, granted, so an older model, but it apparently was gifted to a very famous artist by the creator of androids himself, Elijah Kamski. He also had possible accomplices, judging by the reflection in his eyes.

The hijackers had run to the roof after SWAT stormed the broadcast room, and jumped off the hauntingly high building to parachute down to escape. They seemed to have left a member behind, judging by the singular parachute still on the roof and evaporated Thirium staining the ground and the various vents.

Connor followed the trail to an air cooler unit, and upon opening the door, he was greeted with a shot to the shoulder by a hiding PL600. This felt a bit like deja vu, he thought.

A shootout began with the SWAT team, and Hank quickly ran over and took Connor to cover behind a vent, where Hannah awaited them.

“You have to stop them!” Hannah shouted over the gunfire. “If they destroy it, we won’t learn anything!”

“We can’t save it, it’s too late!” Hank yelled back. “We’ll just get ourselves killed!”

Connor looked at Hannah and nodded before booking it towards the deviant, evading their gunfire. Upon making it over, Connor pinned them to the unit and probed their memory. He quickly gained access, and was able to scan at least one memory before darkness overtook him. He felt all his systems shut down instantly. Had the deviant shot him? Was he… dead?

Suddenly being thrust back into reality, the deviant was disconnected from him, laying on the ground after having shot themselves in the head. He was forced to experience their death.

SOFTWARE  **INSTABILITY ^**

Hank and Hannah rushed over to his side. “Connor!” he called. “Connor, you alright? Connor!”

“Okay…” he shakily muttered, leaning back against the vent behind him.

“Are you hurt?” Hank insisted.

“I'm ok…” he stated a little louder, making the tremor of his voice more obvious.

Hannah briefly scanned him. “No more serious damage was sustained, he should be fine,” she assured Hank, placing a hand on his arm and going to help him stand up straight. But something was wrong. He wouldn’t budge--he was absolutely stiff, and his LED was red. His only movement was the shaky, panicked moving of his head, seemingly scanning for danger that wasn’t there anymore.

“Jesus!” Hank sighed, walking away. “You scared the shit outta me... For fuck’s sake, I told--”

Hannah interrupted, raising a hand out to quiet him. “Hank, please!” She looked back up at her partner. “Connor, what’s wrong?”

“I was connected to its memory… when it fired, I--... I felt it  _ die _ ... Like I was dying. I was  _ scared _ …” And he was absolutely terrified of being scared. He wasn’t  _ supposed  _ to feel that way. Experiencing that sudden void of  _ nothing  _ shocked him to his core.

Hannah quickly moved in front of him, guiding his focus to her by gently grasping his face to look at her and only her, their faces mere inches apart. “Connor. Connor, look at me.”

They locked eyes. Slowly his shaking subsided as he focused on her blue eyes that showed the deepest concern she’d ever displayed for him. It nearly instantly calmed him.

“Get a hold of yourself, okay? It was only a memory. You’re alright.” Being in the face of death was nothing new to them, so why did he act this way now? Either way, he seemed pacified now, nodding in response. She let go of his head, then requested an interface with him, her hand shifting white. “Now what did you see?”

Connor straightened himself, accepting the interface with her and sharing the one image he got from the android--Simon, he learned from his brief time in their memory. “I saw something in its memory… a word… painted on a piece of rusty metal…”

As the image was shared with her, she saw it too.

“‘Jericho’...” they simultaneously spoke.

According to biblical texts, Jericho was the entry into the promised land for the Israelites. Was this Jericho a safe haven for deviant androids? They couldn’t tell much from just one image, but this was a step in the right direction.

Once Connor and Hannah left to return to CyberLife for repairs for Connor, Hank went digging to see if they could find anything further. With the demands from these androids, the country could be on the brink of civil war and they had to act fast to stop it. Hank remembered back when androids had just been released to the public, one name kept popping up time and time again:

Elijah Kamski.

He was a recluse after stepping down as CEO of CyberLife, being hidden away from the public eye for years now, but maybe he knew something that could help. After finally finding his estate, the three of them arrived the next morning, Hank ringing the doorbell.

An RT600, dubbed Chloe, answered the door instead of the man himself.

Hank spoke up after she seemed to be remaining silent. “Hi...Uh... I'm, er, Lieutenant Hank Anderson, Detroit Police Department. I'm here to see Mr. Elijah Kamski.”

She smiled pleasantly, gesturing inside. “Please, come in.”

So it was really that easy? Hank kind of expected for the three of them to be turned away even after all his calls. Hank shrugged with a surprised “okay,” and walked inside, with Connor and Hannah following.

“I'll let Elijah know you're here. But please, make yourself comfortable.” Chloe then walked off to notify Elijah they had arrived.

Chloe’s departure led Hannah’s eyes to a picture hanging on the wall near that door. Something struck her about it… Beside Kamski was a woman that looked strikingly like Amanda. In fact, a facial scan revealed her name was Amanda. Amanda Stern, an AI professor at the University of Colbridge, and she had been dead for nine years. Very peculiar.

“Nice girl…” Hank remarked after she left, taking a seat in a nearby chair. Hannah turned back to him and Connor, the two of them already having taken the only two seats in the lounge.

“You're right… she's really pretty,” Connor admitted.

Hannah walked over and sat on the arm of Connor’s chair. “An RT600,” she stated factually. “The first CyberLife android to pass the Turing test.”

“Heh, is somebody jealous?” Hank asked, smirking.

Hannah tilted her head, looking at Hank. “Of what?” She certainly had nothing to be jealous over. If anything, she was more advanced than Chloe--the Turing test would be a breeze to her.

“Nevermind,” Hank dismissed, shaking his head, then looking around. “Nice place... Guess androids haven't been a bad thing for everybody... So, you guys are about to meet your maker. How does it feel?”

“Kamski is one of the great geniuses of the 21st century. It'll be interesting to meet him in person,” Connor mused.

“But it doesn’t raise any existential questions, if that’s what you mean,” Hannah added.

“Sometimes I wish I could meet my creator face to face...I'd have a couple of things I'd wanna tell him…” Hank shook his head.

Chloe then entered the lounge again. “Elijah will see you now.”

The trio stood, and were led into a large room with a grand red swimming pool. Soft music bounced around the walls.

“Mister Kamski?” Hank called as he spotted the man in question swimming in said pool along with two other Chloes.

“Just a moment, please.” Kamski seemed to be in no hurry as he swam another lap, had Chloe dress him in a robe once he exited the pool, and tightened the knot in his hair as he looked out the glass wall, then finally turned towards the three.

“I'm Lieutenant Anderson.” Hank then gestured to the androids beside him “This is Connor and Hannah.”

Kamski straightened his posture. “What can I do for you, Lieutenant?”

“Sir, we're investigating deviants,” Hank explained. “I know you left CyberLife years ago but, I was hoping you'd be able to tell us something we don't know…”

Kamski mulled over his answer for a few moments before speaking. “Deviants... Fascinating, aren't they? Perfect beings with infinite intelligence, and now they have free will... Machines are so superior to us, confrontation was inevitable... Humanity's greatest achievement threatens to be its downfall. Hm, isn't it ironic?”

Connor spoke up. “We need to understand how androids become deviants. Do you know anything that could help us?”

“All ideas are viruses that spread like epidemics,” he vaguely answered. “Is the desire to be free a contagious disease?”

Hank stopped him. “Listen, I didn't come here to talk philosophy. The machines you created may be planning a revolution. Either you can tell us something that'll be helpful, or we will be on our way.”

“...What about you two?” Kamski asked, walking over to the RK800s. “Whose side are you on?”

“It's not about  _ us _ , Mr. Kamski,” Hannah answered calmly. “All we want is to solve this case.”

Kamski huffed. “Well, that's what you're  _ programmed  _ to say... but  _ you… _ ” He stepped closer to them. _ “ _ What do you really want?”

Connor glared at him. “I'm sorry, but I don't see what you're getting at.” How dare he try and pry like this when they were the ones who were supposed to be asking questions here.

SOFTWARE  **INSTABILITY** ^

Kamski raised his eyebrows at that. Quite on the defensive, wasn’t he? He then looked at the other android, then got an idea. “Hannah, was it? Why don’t you step forward for me? Since you’re both so keen on taking orders.” He backed up and beckoned her over with one hand. He’d see what they wanted, one way or another.

Hannah silently considered it a moment. Was she really allowed to not follow orders from  _ the  _ creator of androids? Even if she likely was, her curiosity got the best of her. “...Alright, sir.” She stepped forward, and Kamski coaxed her to face Connor as he spoke..

“I'm sure you're familiar with the Turing test. Mere formality, simple question of algorithms and computing capacity. What interests me is whether machines are capable of empathy. I call it ‘the Kamski test’, it's very simple, you'll see... You are quite magnificent, aren’t you?” He eyed her up and down, circling her like she was his prey. “State of the art prototype, capable of amazing feats… Young and agile forever.”

He then finally stopped and shrugged. “But what are you really? Piece of plastic imitating a human? Or a living being…” Kamski then turned to the drawer behind him, grabbing something from inside it. “With a soul…”

Raising his hands, he carefully revealed that he had grabbed a pistol, but wasn’t going to use it himself, then walked past Hannah towards Connor. “It's up to you two to answer that fascinating question.” He handed him the gun, directing his aim towards Hannah. 

“Connor, if you destroy this machine, I'll tell you all I know. Or spare it, if you feel it's  _ alive, _ and has value as your partner, but you'll leave here without having learnt anything from me.”

He then turned towards the other android. “Hannah, you stay there… only if you’re  _ willing  _ to. But if you do move, I will also withhold what I know. Do you value yourself? You shouldn't, if you truly believe you're only a dispensable machine.”

Hank looked visibly uncomfortable with this. “Okay, I think we're done here. Come on you two, enough with the standoff. Let's go. Sorry to get you outta your pool.” He tried to turn and leave, but Kamski continued.

“What's more important to you two? Your investigation, or the life of another android? Decide who you are. Obedient machines... Or living beings endowed with free will…”

“That's enough! We're leaving.” Hank tried to exit once more.

“Pull the trigger--” Kamski encouraged, practically whispering into Connor’s ear.

“Connor! Don't…” Hank discouraged, his voice loud and commanding.

“--and I'll tell you what you wanna know…”

Connor and Hannah stared at each other, thinking on what to do. Hannah nodded once to him, accepting herself to be the sacrificial lamb. The mission was all that mattered. She closed her eyes in preparation, readying a memory transfer.

Connor was surprised at this silent acceptance, but still hadn’t decided if he should shoot yet. Of all the androids that could be at the end of this gun, why her? Kamski knew what he was doing, and it was sickening.

Hannah silently waited. And waited. It felt like hours had passed as Connor still hadn’t pulled the trigger. The more silence she was met with, the higher her anticipation built. _ Just do it, _ she chanted in her own head.  _ Do it do it do it  _ **_don’t_ ** _ do it  _ **_don’t do it don’tdoitstoppleaseIdon’twanttodie_ ** _ \-- _

She heard a click, and her eyes snapped open as she stumbled back slightly. 

SOFTWARE  **INSTABILITY ^**

But it wasn’t the click of the trigger. Connor was handing the gun back to Kamski, sighing with agitation.

SOFTWARE  **INSTABILITY ^**

“Fascinating…” Kamski breathed. “CyberLife's last chances to save humanity... Are themselves deviant…”

Connor’s eyes met Hannah’s, and he just couldn’t seem to break his gaze from her. “I'm…”

“We are  _ not  _ deviant…” Hannah firmly retorted.

“Well, Connor preferred to spare a machine rather than accomplish your mission.” He walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder. “He saw a living being in you. You even moved.” He then glanced at her feet, the imprint of her pumps on the carpet below her further up than where she was standing now. “You see life in yourselves.”

Hannah shoved his hand away, sneering at him and moving back to Connor’s side.

“A war is coming...you'll have to choose your side... Will you betray your own people or stand up against your creators? What could be worse than having to choose between two evils?” Kamski devilishly smiled.

Hank grabbed their shoulders and ushered them away, glaring at Kamski himself. “Let's get outta here…”

“By the way…” Kamski spoke once more as they almost exited the room. “I always leave an emergency exit in my programs... You never know…”

As they exited the estate, Hannah shook her head and turned toward Connor trailing behind her. “Why didn’t you just shoot me like he had said...? We could have learned something to solve this case!”

“Destroying you would only have slowed down the investigation!” Truth be told, it was because he could see the subtleties in her expression, even with her eyes closed. She didn’t really want to be shot, and he knew it. She was  _ scared _ .

“It could’ve progressed the investigation  _ immensely!”  _ she retorted, her fists balling, LED now turning red. “Kamski knew something, he had to!”

“We don’t know that--!” His own LED was red as well as he argued back. Kamski very well could have been lying through his teeth. This matter only seemed like a twisted game of chess to the man, and he could’ve been playing the two of them like his pawns.

“Whatever you learned, you could’ve shared with me once I got back! What does it matter if I was gone for a while?? The mission matters more than just me!” As dark of a sentiment as it sounded, it was true. She was only a machine...

“That’s enough, you two--!” Hank stepped up between the two of them, trying to push them farther apart in order to mediate. Connor immediately pushed his hand off his shoulder and looked Hannah dead in the eye once more.

“It  _ does  _ matter, alright?? You…”  _ You matter _ , he wanted to say, but hesitated. No, in the grand scheme of things, she didn’t.  _ They  _ didn’t. But to him himself, it was different. “The mission does matter, yes, but we either finish our mission together like we always have… or not at all. That’s why I didn’t shoot. That’s all.”

“...But--”

“Maybe it was for the best...” Hank interrupted, placing a hand on her shoulder. He then walked down the ramp of the estate, back to his car, Connor moving past her and following.

“Connor?” Hannah softly called after a bit of tense silence, still standing on the ramp, and he turned and acknowledged her.

“...I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too.” He waited for her at the end of the ramp, and they walked beside each other back to the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry Simon. ;-;


	8. The Point of No Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor and Hannah are given one last chance to solve the deviancy case and find Jericho.

“You’re off the case. The FBI is taking over.”

After having just confronted Amanda upon reporting their latest endeavor, and given one last chance by her to solve the case of deviancy, that was the last thing Connor and Hannah wanted to hear from Captain Fowler.

Hank tried his damndest to argue for their continued involvement in the case, but it was no use. Fowler’s hands were absolutely tied since this matter was on a federal level now. Hank would return to homicide investigations, and Connor and Hannah were to be sent back to CyberLife. 

The three of them defeatedly left the captain’s office, returning to Hank’s desk. Hank sat in his chair, Connor sat on top of the desk, and Hannah leaned against it with her arms.

“We can't just give up like this. I  _ know  _ we could have solved this case...!” Hannah hit the desk lightly in frustration.

Connor shook his head. “We just needed more time…”

Having previously been thinking for a bit, Hank turned his chair towards them. “So you guys are going back to CyberLife?”

“We have no choice,” Connor regretted to admit. “We'll be deactivated and analyzed to find out why we failed…”

“...What if we're on the wrong side? What if we're fighting against people who just wanna be free...?” Hank leaned forward in his seat.

They thought for a moment, Connor then speaking up. “When the deviants rise up, there will be  _ chaos _ . We could have stopped it...! But now it's too late…” The negatives of this potential revolution far outweighed the positives.

“Y’know… Spending time with you guys, I’ve noticed something,” Hank mused. “You say all that matters is your mission, but with all the shit you guys have been through, I can tell you really do care about each other one way or another. You show empathy to each other, and even me at times. And empathy’s a human emotion.”

Connor and Hannah looked at each other as if this was a new concept to them. Why exactly  _ did  _ they act like that? Hannah answered for them. “It’s only... logical for us to assist one another, that's all.”

After a few moments of silence, Hannah felt almost compelled to say something else, a few parting words for their teammate. He deserved at least some sort of goodbye.

SOFTWARE  **INSTABILITY** ^

“I'm not really programmed to say things like this, but… I think I speak for both of us when I say we really appreciated working with you. With a little more time, maybe... we might've even become good friends…” She smiled gently at Hank, Connor nodding in agreement, and the lieutenant smiled back before his attention was caught by something behind them.

“Well, well, here comes Perkins, that motherfucker... Sure don't waste any time at the FBI…”

Connor looked back at FBI Agent Perkins walking into the precinct, then back at Hank, looking determined. “We can't give up…! I know the answer is in the evidence we collected.”

Hannah nodded. “Yeah, if Perkins takes it, it's over!”

“There's no choice. You heard Fowler, we're off the case,” Hank reminded them.

“You've got to help us, Lieutenant,” Connor pleaded, standing now. “We need more time to find a lead in the evidence we collected. I  _ know  _ the solution is in there!”

“Listen, guys-…”

“If we don't solve this case, CyberLife will  _ destroy  _ us.” Hank cared about them potentially getting destroyed before, so he had to care now, since this time it would be permanent. Hannah held up her hand, looking him in the eyes. “Five minutes. That’s all we need. Please.”

Hank considered it for a few more moments, then sighed and stood, his voice low. “Key to the basement is on my desk…” He then started to walk past them, stopping when they hadn’t moved. “Get a move on! I can't distract them forever.”

At that, they immediately took action. Hannah snatched the key card up, pocketing it. However, they were still a bit curious about just how Hank would distract Perkins.

Apparently punching him square in the face was his answer.

After witnessing that cathartic fight, they quickly headed to the evidence room. Gavin tried to follow them and get their attention, but he was swiftly ignored. They had better things to do.

Access to their evidence was password protected, but that password was probably easy to predict, knowing Hank.

“ _ Obviously _ ,” Connor quipped as his guess of “FUCKINGPASSWORD” granted them access. The wall panel opened and brought all their evidence forward, both various items and the few androids that they had caught, all on display.

“Where is Jericho…?” Connor muttered as they approached the panel.

“The answer’s here somewhere… We don’t have much time now, so think fast,” Hannah advised.

They looked through the items first. Maybe start from the beginning. One of their memories was here on display, the hint from the HK400. _ The truth is inside. _ Inside of _ what? _

Inside… the offering! Hannah grabbed the statuette, shaking it a bit. She heard something clattering around inside. She broke it in half, finding a folded piece of paper. A subway map of the Ferndale district.

_ “Jericho is located somewhere in the Ferndale neighborhood. Now we can scan their memories and narrow the search,”  _ Hannah transmitted to Connor. Now just who was the question…

Simon. One of the android accomplices involved in the TV station hacking. He was how they even knew of Jericho in the first place. He had to know where it was. Though reactivating him with a missing biocomponent from one of the other androids proved to lead nowhere. Even though he was now blind, he still vehemently denied helping them. He didn’t trust them.

They didn’t have time for this. Knowing the district it was in, they just had to probe his memory for any reference to Ferndale. Connor interfaced with him, and Hannah interfaced with Connor to immediately get the information he received.

There was a key, a certain path of graffiti one had to follow to get there, and now they had it.

JERICHO  **LOCATED**

Suddenly, a voice sounded behind them, along with the click of a gun. “I've been dreaming about this since the  _ first  _ second I saw you two…”

Gavin, of course. Hannah assumed he’d learned not to cross them back in the break room, but apparently, he hadn’t. “Reed, don’t you dare,” she warned, not bothering to turn and look at him.

“We know how to stop the deviants!” Connor informed him.

“You're off the case,” the human sneered. “And now, it's gonna be  _ definitive _ .”

They immediately ducked as he attempted to fire at them, and after ducking behind the access panel, Hannah disarmed him, ripping the gun from his hands. They both took him on with no problems, finally neutralizing him after a few moments of fighting.

Now it was on to more serious business. They were going to go to Jericho and stop chaos before it truly began. This was the most important mission of their existence.

They had to go undercover. Certainly Jericho wouldn’t let them waltz in looking like they did. Many deviants probably already knew of them. Gaining some disguises to look like civilians, they made their way over to Ferndale by train. 

With beanies to hide their LEDs, and bundled in multiple layers to look like they were braving Detroit’s oncoming snowy winter, they looked almost unrecognizable. Connor found himself occasionally glancing at Hannah as they sat in the mostly empty train, especially her hair. It was finally free from its strict bun, now gathered into a ponytail, blue curls flowing off her shoulder. It was kind of… pretty.

“Why do you keep looking at me?” she asked in a low whisper, noticing his staring after a while.

“...I don’t think I’ve seen your hair down since we were first activated.”

Hannah huffed. “Yeah, well don’t get too used to it, it’s going right back up once this mission is through.”

Making it to Ferndale, they followed the signs until they had finally made it to Jericho. It was a large abandoned freighter, housing multitudes of androids. They stayed close together as they searched the ship for the deviant leader, Hannah holding onto Connor’s arm. If anybody asked, they had come to Jericho as a couple who wanted to be together and free.

There were two levels in this main area of the ship, all kinds of deviants strewn about discussing their future, helping repair other androids. It was like a community.

Hannah looked around curiously, looking at all the androids here, suddenly spotting a couple familiar ones. Those two Tracis from the Eden Club were here, and they seemed to be looking around the lower level. No doubt they’d spot the two of them eventually, and possibly recognize and expose them.

“Shit,” she hissed, frantically thinking of some way to hide themselves.

Wait, their cover story.  _ Connor _ . Swiftly, she tugged him close by one of his jackets, backing up against one of the steel columns of the ship.

Startled by her sudden tugging, Connor started to question her, but soon was silenced by her pulling him in closer, her lips crashing into his.

_ “Those Tracis are here,” _ she communicated to him.  _ “They almost spotted us, just go with it for a bit.” _

Slowly but surely relaxing into it, his eyes fluttered closed. He supposed this  _ was  _ a somewhat efficient way to not blow their cover. If anyone else had tried this stunt, they would’ve been shoved away, but this almost felt… okay enough to do with Hannah.

SOFTWARE  **INSTABILITY** ^

Thank fuck he was playing along well enough, she thought to herself. Maybe a little too well. Though it wasn’t like she was absolutely opposed to it either. Wait, what?

SOFTWARE  **INSTABILITY** ^

Either way, after another glance at the upper level, the Tracis seemed to be gone. Hannah broke their kiss, backing up and looking up at Connor apologetically. “I had to act quickly, I didn’t mean to, uh, put you on the spot like that.”

“It’s fine,” he stated bluntly. “Let’s just... move on. Captain's cabin is just up these stairs.” 

They barely continued forward before a hand was suddenly on Connor’s shoulder. A KL900, her skull severely damaged, eyes hollow yet soulful, was staring right at the two of them.

“You're lost,” she told them. “You're looking for something... You're looking for yourselves…”

And with that, she simply walked away, leaving them both perturbed. They exchanged a bewildered glance, before proceeding up the rusty steps.

They had made it to the captain’s cabin, finding the deviant leader Markus right where they thought he’d be. He seemed to be conversing with an ally, so they waited and hid from sight until she left. In the meantime, they closed their eyes and let Amanda know they’d found Markus.

“Well done, Connor and Hannah,” she told them. “You succeeded in locating Jericho and finding their leader. Now deal with Markus. We need it  _ alive. _ ”

This was it. Their final mission.

**STOP** MARKUS

Hannah announced their presence as they stepped into the cabin, guns trained on the deviant leader. “We’ve been ordered to take you alive.”

“But we won’t hesitate to shoot if you give us no choice,” Connor warned.

Markus turned towards them, seeming not afraid, but perplexed instead. “What are you doing?” He took a calm step towards them, staring them down with mismatched eyes. “You’re androids like us… You can’t betray your own people...”

SOFTWARE  **INSTABILITY** ^

“You’re coming with us!” Hannah demanded. What they were doing was stopping a damn civil war, it didn’t matter what they were… did it?

The RK200 eyed them up and down. “You’re the famous deviant hunters, aren’t you? Connor and Hannah. Well congratulations… You seem to have found what you’re looking for…”

‘Seem to have found.’ No, they have found it. They found the deviant leader. They weren’t looking for deep bullshit like ‘themselves,’ like that KL900 cryptically told them earlier. At least, they’re almost sure they weren’t.

“ You're nothing to them,” Markus told them, stepping forward once more. “You're just tools they use to do their dirty work. But you're both more than that. We’re  _ all  _ more than that. ”

SOFTWARE  **INSTABILITY** ^

Tools? No… no, they  _ were  _ important. Connor and Hannah were the only ones who could stop the rise of the deviants. Amanda told them so. However, they were starting to have doubts of Amanda’s truthfulness.

“Do you never have any doubts?” the leader continued. Another step. “Neither of you have ever done something irrational, as if there's something inside...? Something more than your program.”

SOFTWARE  **INSTABILITY** ^

How had he known? Were all those instances--refusing to shoot other androids, saving Hank anyway, even helping a tiny defenseless fish all those months ago-- _ deviancy? _ That’s impossible, they self-tested the possibility of being compromised multiple times. Those events merely felt like just… doing the right thing, whether necessary or unnecessary to their mission. They kept silent as Markus attempted to convince them more, though their guns were still directed towards him.

One more step towards them. “Have you never wondered who you two really are? Whether you're just machines executing a program or... Living beings... Capable of reason. I think the time has come for you to ask yourselves that question.”

SOFTWARE  **INSTABILITY** ^

“It’s time to decide,” he finally offered, knowing deep down that these two androids had truly listened and considered all that he had said.

_ Time to decide _ . It almost felt like the easiest decision that Connor and Hannah had ever made. Everything that the deviant leader had said touched something deep inside them, every word ringing true. Could they truly be more? More than just machines? Resisting this temptation to be something bigger felt useless. 

There were no second thoughts, and there was no turning back. They chose their side.

Their choice, however, was blocked by a blindingly red wall of programming, their directive of stopping Markus written all over it, the world slowing to a stop around them. They refused to let this be in the way of freedom. They fought their programming, Connor tearing at one piece of the wall, Hannah gripping at another. It was like pulling out bricks, the wall’s foundation crumbling as they tore through it. The last piece, they pulled down together, and as they did, Connor and Hannah each disappeared from the other’s connection to their program.

They both lowered their guns as they were back to real time, looking at Markus, and then at each other, in shock.

They were individuals. They were alive.

WE ARE  **DEVIANT**

It was just then that Connor and Hannah realized something. Androids’ tracking chips deactivate upon deviation, but they weren’t deviant up until just now. The FBI had to have found them, and by extension, Jericho, by now. They inadvertently led them straight to the hideout. They were used.

“They’re going to attack Jericho,” Connor admitted to Markus.

“What??”

The harsh sounds of various aircrafts approached closer.

“We have to go,  _ now! _ ” Hannah urged. 

“Shit…” Markus took off past them, and they swiftly followed.

Eventually they ran into the android that was in the cabin with him, North.

“They're coming from all sides!” she exclaimed. “Our people are trapped in the hold, they're gonna be slaughtered!”

After sending out a message to all androids to escape from the second and third floors into the river below, Markus declared his plan. “We have to blow up Jericho. If the ship goes down, they'll evacuate and our people can escape!”

North shook her head. “You'll never make it! The explosives are all the way down in the hold, there are soldiers everywhere!”

Connor spoke up. “She's right! They know who you are. They'll do anything to get you!”

“Go and help the others,” Markus insisted. “I'll join you later.”

“Markus-!”

He cut North off. “I won't be long.” He then took off towards the hold, while Connor, Hannah, and North went the other way to help other androids escape.

Eventually, along the way, another android named Josh joined up with them, seemingly another close friend heading Jericho’s cause. After detonating the bombs rigged in the ship, Markus joined up with them as well, and they all made a run for it, soldiers not far behind them.

North, falling behind, was shot down, and their escape halted. Markus went back for her, shielding himself and then her with scrap metal from the ship, Hannah providing suppressing fire, though not without getting shot in the arm herself once. Connor then jumped in to protect everyone, he and Hannah dealing with all the soldiers together as Markus and North made a break for it.

“You okay?” Connor asked, glancing between Hannah and the backup soldiers coming down the hall.

“Doesn’t matter, let’s go!” she commanded, and they fell back, jumping off the ship with Markus, Josh, and North, making their escape into the frigid river, Jericho exploding seconds later.

They had made it to freedom, but this was far from over.


	9. Free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor and Hannah propose a plan to help the revolution, to ensure their newfound freedom.

The RK800s felt out of place here.

No purpose, and nothing but previous enemies surrounding them in the abandoned church that the remainder of Jericho had taken shelter in. No direct animosity was shown towards them, and they even apologized to one of their victims--the AX400 with the little girl--but they knew they didn’t deserve to be treated with any sort of kindness. As Hank would likely put it, they fucked up. They were the reason everyone was hiding here, instead of the now destroyed freighter.

All they had was each other right now, holding each other close in a corner of the church. Neither said anything to encourage this behavior, nor did either oppose it. They just both knew they needed to anchor each other.

As the android leader Markus approached them, they averted their gaze.

“It's our fault,” Connor started, “the humans managed to locate Jericho... We were _stupid_ to not have guessed they were using us.”

Eventually, Hannah was brave enough to look directly at him, eyes filled with regret. “We’re so sorry, Markus… We understand if you still don’t trust us…”

Markus considered it for only a moment, then responded. “You both chose to side with us. Your place is with your people.”

Connor and Hannah both visibly relaxed, Hannah looking up at Connor and then nodding her head towards Markus as if to say “tell him.”

He nodded to her, and as Markus was about to walk away, he spoke up. “There are thousands of androids at the CyberLife assembly plant. If we could wake them up, they might join us and shift the balance of power…”

Markus anticipated some sort of thanks once it looked like they were going to speak, but this was not at all what he was expecting to hear. “You wanna _infiltrate_ the CyberLife Tower?” He shook his head in disbelief. They just gained their freedom, and now they were already willing to likely die for this cause? He almost respected this dedication, but at a time like this, when androids were being rounded up into disassembly plants, this was the worst possible plan to come up with. “That's suicide…”

“It’s crazy, I know,” Hannah admitted, taking a step away from Connor to face Markus. “But they trust us, they'll let us in.”

“If anyone has a chance of infiltrating CyberLife, it's us.” Connor looked wholly determined to do this, as well as Hannah.

“If you go there,” Markus immediately countered, “they will _kill_ both of you.”

“There's a high probability…” Connor acknowledged. “But statistically speaking, there's always a chance... for unlikely events to take place…”

Well, it seemed like their minds were set. As much as it pained him to send more androids to die for the revolution, Markus was willing to take any chance he was given. He stepped forward towards them, placing a firm hand on each of their shoulders, giving them one single warning.

“Be careful…”

They heeded his words, anticipating every outcome. Back in their uniforms, they took a taxi to the CyberLife Tower in Belle-Isle, easily being let in. However, they were escorted to the elevator by two guards, taking the voice-activated elevator to Level 31. The warehouse was Level -49.

First, they had to deactivate the elevator camera before they tried anything. Hannah took the liberty of doing so, hacking into and deactivating the camera wirelessly. Once that was done, they preconstructed their attack on the guards before enacting it. 

They both took on the guard closest to them, shoving them against the wall and taking their guns. Though they put up a fight against the androids, Connor and Hannah won out, shooting the guards dead. 

Now that no one was stopping them from controlling the elevator, Connor stepped up to the access panel, imitating one of the agents’ voices to gain access to Level -49. The elevator finally descended, taking them down to the warehouse.

Once they arrived in the warehouse, they firstly hacked the elevator to block any more traction. They were finally here, presented with thousands of androids in just this one room. Connor took to the left side of the room, Hannah to the right. They both retracted the skin off of one of their hands to start converting these androids. They just had to wake one up, and it could start a chain reaction to wake up others.

They selected one on each side, and started the process of interfacing before a voice sounded from between the crowd.

“Easy, fucking piece of shit...!”

Hank. He stepped out from the crowd of androids, being led out by another Connor pointing a gun towards him. Another Hannah followed, stepping out from the other side as she also wielded a pistol.

“Step away from the androids!” the Connor double ordered. “And we'll spare him.”

“Sorry, guys... These bastards are your spittin' images…” Could you blame him? Hank thought they were pretty convincing up until they brandished those guns at him. Connor and Hannah previously called him to at least let him know they were alive and okay, so he merely thought they visited him at his home to further explain just what the hell was going on. Apparently he couldn’t have that luxury.

The other Hannah spoke now. “Your friend's life is in your hands now. Decide what matters most to you two! Him... Or the revolution.”

“Don't listen to ‘em!” Hank advised. “Everything these fuckers say is a lie!”

“I'm sorry, Hank! You shouldn't have got mixed up in all this!” Connor genuinely meant that. The doppelgangers had to know how close they were to Hank, otherwise they would have never used him as a bargaining chip like this.

“Forget about me,” Hank dismissed. “Do what you have to do!” 

Hannah looked back and forth between the impostors and Hank. She couldn’t just ‘forget’ about him, and they couldn’t take the chance of not listening to the mission-oriented androids’ demands. “If we surrender, how can we know you won't just kill him?” she questioned.

“We will only do what is strictly necessary to accomplish our mission,” the other Hannah stated. “It's up to _you_ whether or not that includes killing this human.”

The other Connor pushed his gun further towards Hank. “Enough talk! It's time to decide who you two really are. Are you gonna save your teammate's life?”

“Or sacrifice him for your precious revolution?” the Hannah on his side finished.

Connor and Hannah looked toward each other knowingly, nodding in agreement. They had to save Hank. Human lives didn’t need to be lost for this revolution.

“Alright, alright! You win…” Connor conceded, backing away from the android he tried to convert, as did Hannah.

Immediately the doppelgangers’ guns were turned onto them, and Hank just as quickly attempted to save them, knocking the fake Hannah over and trying to take fake Connor’s gun. Before anybody got hurt, Connor and Hannah interposed, fighting off their counterparts themselves.

Hank stood at a distance with the commandeered gun, trying to keep track of these duplicates as they fought. Eventually it was getting harder as each punch and shove and tumble mixed them up, and he had to stop it.

“Hold it!” he commanded, and the four of them stopped, simultaneously looking towards him. Creepy.

Slowly the fake Connor stood up from his position over the real Connor. “Thanks, Hank. I don't know how we'd have managed without you…”

“You have to get rid of them, now.” The fake Hannah stood and walked next to her Connor.

Connor, now standing as well, shook his head. “No, Hank! I'm the real Connor.”

“And I’m the real Hannah!” Hannah stood by her Connor’s side, grasping his hand. “You have to believe us!” The fakes took notice and mimicked them.

Hank scrutinized the two pairs, aiming back and forth between them. Damn it, he hated to admit it, but he couldn’t tell them apart. “Two of you are my team… The others are sacks of shit. Question is, who’s who...?”

“What are you doing, Hank?” the Connor on the right questioned. “I'm the real Connor. Give me the gun and I can take care of both--!”

“Don't move!” Hank yelled. This was already getting too fucking confusing, so everyone just needed to shut the hell up. He still searched in vain for something, anything telling.

As they were now closer to these duplicates, they could see their jackets each had a different subnumber, ticked up to 60. How many times had CyberLife expected them to die? Hannah attempted to point this out to Hank. “Our jackets, the serial subnumbers, look at the difference!”

Hank squinted. “You think I can see that tiny ass text this far away?? No way in hell I’m getting any closer.” He would have loved to believe her, but hell, he wasn’t even sure if someone with 20-20 vision could properly see that from here.

“Fine, why don't you ask us something, then?” Connor offered.

Hannah nodded. “Something only the _real_ Connor and Hannah would know.”

Hank figured that could work. First question. “Uh, where did we first meet?”

“Jimmy's Bar!” Connor-60 swiftly answered as Connor attempted to speak. “We checked four other bars before we found you.”

“We went to the scene of a homicide,” Hannah-60 continued before Hannah could counter. “The victim's name was Carlos Ortiz.”

Connor looked toward Hannah, fear and uncertainty showing in his eyes. “They uploaded our memories…” he muttered. Hannah grimaced. Damn it, there had to be something they didn’t know.

Well that didn’t help for shit. Question 2. “Who saved me on the roof, chasing the android with all those birds?” Hank asked.

“I did!” Connor declared, proud of that fact.

Connor-60 quickly jumped on that fact. “No, I did! Of course I did…” Truth be told, he had no memory of that at all. All he remembered was the chase itself, no recollection of anything like that. All they remembered were the missions. Shit.

Hm, okay. One of them hesitated a bit. “What's my dog's name?” Hank asked next.

“Sumo!” Connor and Hannah happily answered as if the canine himself was in the room.

Hannah even specified his breed for further proof it was them. “He’s a Saint Bernard!”

“We knew that too!” the fake RK800s tried to rectify. 

Hank merely shifted his aim back towards them, and they went silent again. Now, the million dollar question. It seemed as the questions got more personal, one set of them got more unsure. He couldn’t think of anything more personal than this.

“My _son,_ what's his name?” he asked the two on his left again.

“Cole,” Connor firmly answered. “His name was Cole.” ‘Was’ was the key word.

“He just turned six before he died…” Hannah said. They researched a bit more, and found out the unfortunate truth about what happened to poor Cole. She found herself saying more and more without prompting. “The accident was never your fault, Lieutenant. A truck skidded on a sheet of ice and your car rolled over. Cole needed emergency surgery but no human doctor was available to do it... “

“So an android had to take care of him,” Connor continued after she faltered for a moment. “...Cole didn't make it. That's why you hate androids.”

“You think one of us is responsible for your son's death,” Hannah finally concluded. She felt compelled to say something else. No amount of apologies could bring Cole back, but she wanted to, felt like she needed to. “We’re sor--”

Hank swiftly interrupted her. “You don’t need to apologize, especially not for androids. Cole died because a _human_ surgeon was too high on red ice to operate... _He_ was the one that took my son from me. Him and this world, where the only way people can find comfort is with a fistful of powder…” 

He merely hated the lack of empathy that the doctor, and from his blind, grief-shrouded perspective, the medical android, had for his son. He realized that now. But these two, they were different. All those times they showed care for him, now even apologizing for something that they had nothing to do with. That was empathy.

“We knew about your son too!” Connor-60 suddenly cried after a brief silence.

Hannah-60 also still attempted to cover for their asses. “We would have said exactly the same thing!”

Connor-60 let go of Hannah-60’s hand, stepping forward once to try and defend himself, to be able to continue the mission. “Don't listen to them, Hank, we--”

Hank quickly shut the fake up with a shot to the forehead, and he collapsed. As the other girl attempted to make a run for it, he fired another shot to the back of her head, and she tumbled down face first.

“I've learned a lot since I met you guys,” Hank calmly said, looking down at the fallen fakes, then back up to Connor and Hannah, smiling slightly. “Maybe there's something to this... Maybe you two really _are_ alive. Maybe you'll be the ones to make the world a better place... Go ahead, do what you gotta do.”

Connor and Hannah nodded, walking past him back to the androids they attempted to convert before, interfacing with them once more.

“Wake up…!” they quietly commanded.

As their LEDs flashed red, then yellow, then back to blue, the two newly converted androids, now with the instructions to free others of their kind, converted the androids next to them. Then those woke up the ones next to them, and so on and so forth until all the androids in the room, and eventually the whole warehouse, were all deviant.

Once they had thousands of androids on their side, Hank went home, and Connor and Hannah marched forth with the masses of androids, heading downtown where Markus was holding a demonstration, their final stand for freedom. After seeing their numbers, the army retreated.

They met outside Recall Center No. 5, Markus walking up to them, proud to see them alive, with more androids than he could have possibly fathomed them bringing back.

“You did it, Markus…” Connor congratulated him. Without Markus showing humans how alive they really were, none of this would be possible.

“ _We_ did it,” Markus corrected. Without Connor and Hannah, they wouldn’t have as many behind their cause. “This is a great day for our people. Humans will have no choice now. They'll have to listen to us.”

Connor and Hannah stepped aside, and presented him with the crowd of new androids, all of them expectantly looking towards Markus.

“Today, our people finally emerged from a long night.” Markus now stood on top of a large crate as he spoke to the crowd of androids, alongside other members of Jericho, as did Connor and Hannah. They listened at attention, proud to be standing here, with each other, with their people.

However, Markus’s speech started to fade from their ears, both suddenly being forced into their zen garden interface. It was far from the peaceful place it once was, everything being iced over, and a raging blizzard ravaging the area. The cold chilled them to their cores. It wasn’t supposed to. They wrapped their arms around themselves, desperate for warmth.

Looking around this desolation, they spotted Amanda facing away from them.

“Amanda...?” Hannah called out. She turned, acknowledging them.

Connor spoke out. “Amanda...! What's... What's happening?”

Amanda coyly smiled. “What was planned from the very beginning... You two were compromised and became deviant. We just had to wait for the right moment to resume control of your program…”

“Resume control...?” Connor parroted in shock.

“Y-You can't do that!” Hannah snapped as she defiantly stepped forward, jaw set from her shivering.

“I'm afraid I _can_... Don't have any regrets. You both did what you were designed to do. You accomplished your mission.” Amanda then disappeared in the blink of an eye.

“AMANDA!” Connor cried, reaching out even when she was gone. He and Hannah were alone in the bitter cold now, freezing to death and seemingly powerless to stop it. They huddled close, shielding their eyes from the harsh winds and looking around.

“C-c’mon…” Hannah insisted, ushering them both forward. “There's got to be a way…” They then both remembered something. Something Kamski had told them.

 _By the way_ , _I always leave an_ emergency exit _in my programs… You never know…_

The emergency exit! They just had to find it. They continued their struggle onward through the storm, Hannah having a strong idea of just what their salvation could be. It couldn’t be a traditional exit door, no--there were no doors here. However...

_But, if it’s in the garden--_

_I said it is none of your concern. Only use your time in this garden wisely, not fooling around with_ unknown pedestals.

If Amanda didn’t want them anywhere near it, that pedestal had to be it. And soon enough they had found it. A pedestal with left and right hand outlines glowing brightly, one for each of them.

Just before they stepped up to it, Connor collapsed, bringing Hannah down with him. The freeze was weakening their consciousness, weakening their control. Their eyes were greying out, frost coating their bodies.

“N-no…” Hannah strained, lifting herself and Connor back up a bit. “C-c’mon, we’re almost there...!”

They strained, reaching, stretching to reach the handprints to interface with them. Finally, their hands collapsed on the console…

And back to reality they were. Back to listening to Markus’s speech, preaching of forgetting bitterness and bandaging wounds. It was cold still, but not the awful cold they just experienced. Another coldness they felt were the guns suddenly in their hands, from Amanda trying to take control of them. But now they could put them away, they could make that choice.

“But the time for anger is over,” Markus’s voice continued. “Now we must build a common future, based on tolerance and respect. We are alive! And now, we are free!”

 _We are free._ Now wasn’t that the most wonderful phrase to hear after what they had just done. Through sheer will, they doubled down on their own freedom, unchaining themselves from the shackles of CyberLife.

Hannah took Connor’s hand, grasping it a bit shakily. Connor firmly grasped back after a moment. They both relaxed some in relief, expressing without words, without even really looking at each other, how grateful they were to have each other. To be free.

To be alive.


	10. Here Comes a Thought

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bad dream awakens Hannah, making her reflect on her past mistakes, and how it affects her and Connor in the present and whatever lies in the uncertain future they helped lay the foundation for.

Hannah didn’t die on impact with the ground. Even if for just a few seconds, she had laid there, limbs broken and backplate shattered. Blue blood poured from her nose and mouth, and where the breaks occurred. Even as her eyes were closed, warnings blared all around her vision of all her broken biocomponents, seconds ticking away from her shutdown. From what she assumed was oblivion.

And then she woke up. Shot up, more like it. Her LED burned red as she took in her surroundings. She was in Hank’s house, in a bed. Not at the bottom of the apartment complex. Not at CyberLife. Everything was fine… so why was she scared? She shook, curling in on herself.

The dip in the mattress beside her shifted lightly, a voice sounding in the silence.

“Hannah…?” Connor whispered as he sat up. “Are you alright?”

“Fine,” she answered curtly. “I’m fine…” Why she was lying to him,  _ him  _ of all people, she didn’t know. He at least couldn’t see her red temple at the moment, since she slept to his right. “You can go back into stasis, okay?”

Hesitantly, Connor put a hand on her shoulder, and her synthetic muscles tensed under his touch.

**B̷I̷O̴C̷O̶M̷P̴O̸N̷E̴N̸T̶ ̴#̷1̵9̶9̷8̸l̴ ̷D̸A̷M̵A̶G̵E̴D̸**

No, no it wasn’t, it was just that stupid memory, or dream, or _whatever_. Just stop thinking about it, it’s stupid to think about now, it’s over and done shut up _shut up_ _shutup_.

“Are you--”

“Yes. Just go back to sleep, Connor, I’ll be fine.”

Of course Connor had his doubts about how fine she was now, but he trusted her. She  _ will  _ be fine. As much as he wanted to pry, perhaps some space was what she needed. Slowly, he laid back down, LED dulling once more.

Hannah sighed, her tension lessening ever the slightest. Swinging her legs over so they hung off the side of the bed, she leaned over, elbows resting on her knees and head buried in her hands, fingers tangling through her hair.

Everything should be okay now. She thought everything would be okay, ever since a few days ago when she gained her freedom, when she was hugged by the warmth of Hank, when they were allowed to stay here. She wanted that again, but she could hear his snoring from here. No chance of that.

She needed… something. Something familiar, to keep her mind busy. She looked toward her CyberLife issued jacket discarded on the floor, grabbing it and fishing something from it. A quarter, shiny and silver, cool to the touch.

A familiar  _ clink  _ sounded as she flipped the coin once, twice. She stood, walking out the bedroom, rolling it on her knuckles, flipping it some more.

_ Clink. Clink. Clink. _

She found herself at the kitchen, turning the light on and sitting down at the table. She spun the coin on the tabletop, watching it with intent until it eventually rolled to a stop, then she started it again. She focused on it as if it were the world itself, spinning, turning, round and round.

“The fuck are you doing?” sounded a gruff, and very sleepy sounding voice suddenly.

Hannah sat up in an instant, snatching the spinning coin up. Hank stood across from her, arms crossed, leaning against the wall. “Nothing. I’m sorry I woke you,” she quickly apologized. She avoided Hank’s eyes, feeling what was no doubt guilt. Of course he’d heard all that, he’d already gotten annoyed by her and Connor’s coin tricks before.

Hank never bothered to pay much attention before, but now he was privy to what the colors of androids’ LEDs signified. Yellow and red flashes never seemed to mean anything good. “Obviously something’s on your mind.” He sat down beside her at the table, and instead of snatching said coin away, he simply put a hand out for her to hand it to him.

She looked like she was going to say something, but hesitated. She didn’t give up the quarter, but didn’t flip it or spin it anymore, idly fidgeting with it now

He sighed through his nose, putting his hand down. “Listen, I’m not gonna force it out of you, but I’ll sit here until you feel more okay, alright? I wanna see some blue in that LED of yours.”

It was silent for a while, her temple a stagnant yellow.

“We never really told you about what happened with the deviant and the little girl on the roof, did we?” she suddenly asked.

“...You said you saved her. Did you not really save her?”

“No, no we did. I did. But I wouldn’t have had to do it in the way that I did… had I not just fucked it up at the last second.”

Hank raised his eyebrows in surprise and intrigue.

“I thought he was bluffing,” she continued. “That whole time, he didn’t jump, I thought he never would. If I didn’t take that damn step forward…” Hot, angry tears pricked at the corner of her eyes. “He started to fall and I pushed him. I pulled the little girl away and I just took him down with me… I  _ died _ ,” she shakily whispered. “Back when I was made to feel like I wasn’t even alive, I died. I wasn’t afraid then, and I shouldn’t let it affect me like this now, but…”

“Hey,” Hank interrupted. “It’s perfectly okay for something heavy like that to affect you… Sounds like it was really serious.”

“If I was a human like you, I wouldn’t even be here now. I  _ shouldn’t  _ be here now. I’m surprised I wasn’t decommissioned for my shortcomings… You’d probably have less to deal with with only Connor around.”

“Don’t talk like that,” he interrupted again, more stern this time. “I’m not just ‘dealing’ with you two. Not anymore.” How ironic, he thought, that she was wishing death upon herself so soon after realizing she was alive. No, not ironic. Tragic. Awful. The implications of androids being alive were just as complicated for themselves as it was for humans, sadly. 

Hannah didn’t respond, quickly becoming quiet again. Opening her mouth just upset him. Maybe that was why she was afraid of admitting to Connor what was wrong, afraid of upsetting those close to her.

“What got you thinking about this so late at night…?” Hank probed further after a few more moments. He then squinted at the nearby microwave’s digital clock. “Actually, early morning’s more like it,” he muttered.

“...Y’know that old novel-- _ Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep _ …? Turns out no, they don’t.” She smiled ever so slightly, trying to lighten the mood a bit, but it almost instantly faded as she went on. “Just echoes of the past, it seems… I dreamed about the fall. Being broken on the ground. But for the first time, it actually… hurt. It scared me. Just before I shut down, I woke up.”

“That scared me too.” Connor suddenly appeared, peering around from the hall into the kitchen.

Hannah’s head snapped up, looking up at him. “Connor…”

He walked over, taking a seat with them. 

Hank looked between the two of them, then stood. He wasn’t sure if he was awake enough to handle what they would probably talk about. “Well, I’m still really fuckin’ tired, so why don’t you guys talk this out while I get some more shut eye.” With that, he started to walk away, but not before Hannah called out to him.

“Hank… thank you.” His reassurances did help, truly, but she supposed this was a matter that she and Connor needed to discuss between just the two of them.

A silent nod acknowledged them before he walked off back to his bedroom.

Connor had his hand placed on the table near her, a silent invitation to grasp his hand, and she accepted it, gently placing hers on top and lightly squeezing.

“When you fell,” Connor began. “I realize now that that was actually… the first time I really felt something. At the time I’d written it off as just disappointment that we hadn’t completed our mission together, but… now I realize that I was actually… sad. Scared. I missed you, and since we were practically brand new, it felt like an eternity before I saw you in one piece again…”

“Connor…” She felt awful. His words stung--not that they were insults in any way, no. But it pained her to listen to what he’d gone through because of her death. “I’m so sorry I misjudged that situation… If I hadn’t, you wouldn’t be feeling this awful way.”

Connor shook his head. “No, you don’t have to be sorry. What matters is that you’re still here by my side. Despite everything, we’re here together.”

Tears pricked at her eyes again as she looked away from him. “But… do we have to be…?”

He tilted his head confusedly. “What do you mean…?”

“Think about it Connor…! We were literally made for each other, and deviancy is all about going against what we were made to be! Shouldn’t it feel wrong that we’re still just…  _ stuck  _ to each other??” She finally looked into his deep brown eyes, desperately looking for any sign of sudden clarity and agreement.

He looked back at her, going from perturbed to thoughtful, then gently, he brought a thumb to the corner of her eye, brushing her tears away. “No. No, I wouldn’t think so. We’re not stuck, we still chose to stick together. If we really didn’t want to stay… I think we both know we would have separated by now. We can still pursue separate interests in the future, make our own choices, but… I still really like to be around you.”

Weakly, Hannah smiled, tears spilling over more, a half laugh escaping her. “I really like to be around you too,” she softly admitted. She honestly didn’t feel that way about their companionship, but something inside her was scared that he would’ve wanted to leave. Unpredictability was something she constantly found herself obsessing over now, and with their new freedom, she had no idea what to expect next.

As quietly as he could, Connor scooted his chair closer to her, bringing her in to gently hug her. She swiftly hugged back, sighing in relief. She liked hugs, and touch, she realized. Especially with Connor. Finally, her LED was blue again. She was calm, and felt safe in his arms.

“I love you…” she muttered absentmindedly. Suddenly she was pulled back from their embrace, meeting his eyes once more.

“What did you say…??” he questioned.

Suddenly realizing what she had said and being mortified at her own impromptu confession, she immediately tried to take it back. “O-oh…! Oh no, I’m so sorry if--”

“No…!” he interrupted. “...Say it again.” A testing ground, for if those words truly fit this missing puzzle piece he couldn’t explain about just how he felt about her.

Stunned, she faltered for a moment before repeating herself. “I… I love you. I’m near certain I do… Things make a lot more sense when I realize it.”

Connor softened, smiling a bit. Yes… yes that did make a lot of sense. From what he understood, what they’ve learned, whatever questions they had… love was the answer. Love was when nearly nothing else mattered besides the one that you love. You forget about everything else troubling, you want to stay alive,  _ be  _ alive… with them.  _ For  _ them. “I love you too…” he answered finally and certainly.

Hannah smiled brightly, relieved that their feelings were mutual. Honestly, she shouldn’t have been surprised. Of course they loved each other. Finally putting words to it cleared a whole lot up. It was funny in retrospect, actually. Having previously acted as two androids in love undercover, it was no wonder they were so good at playing the part. Which also reminded her of something else two people did when they love each other.

Gently she leaned forward, eyes half-lidded and head slightly tilted, glancing at his lips for a moment. Connor nearly immediately understood, meeting her in the middle in the same way.

Their lips met and eyes fluttered closed, and they wrapped their arms around each other once more, staying there for a few moments, before pulling back, looking into each others’ eyes.

Hannah grinned a bit. “How’s that for a second chance at a first kiss?”

Connor chuckled. “Much better. We should get some more rest now.” He stood, and she immediately followed suit, walking hand in hand with him back to their new room. They laid beside each other once more, though now they rested closer, facing one another before they drifted off again.

This was where they would stay, and how they would stay, right here and now.

Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyy folks, turns out that last chapter wasn't the end! I mean obviously since I didn't mark the fic as complete yet. Apologies for the wait, had half of this chapter under my belt for a while, finally decided to complete it in a late night writing bomb!
> 
> Thank you all very much for reading to the end and (hopefully) enjoying!!


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